


Snapdragon

by CatlynGunn



Series: Magnolia [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Family, Friendship, Gen, OC-centric, rewrite of Prisoner of Azkaban, secrecy, this is a twinfic, turn back now if that's not your jam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-19 04:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29620560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatlynGunn/pseuds/CatlynGunn
Summary: Snapdragon Meaning: Inner strength in trying circumstance; Deception.Maggie Tonks only wants a normal life. And, despite discovering the identity of her biological parents almost 2 years ago, she’s managed very nicely. She has her own group of friends, her own lists of interests, and her own loving (though embarrassing) family.However, all that changes on the Hogwarts Express in her third year, when she becomes one of only two students who faint in the presence of a dementor.Slowly, Maggie finds herself torn. There’s an inherent desire to be her brother’s friend, but to tell him the whole truth could change everything. However, slowly but surely it becomes clear that she cannot have it both ways. She must make a choice.On top of all that, there’s the looming fear that the man responsible for her biological parent’s death has escaped from Azkaban...and he is out to finish what he started...
Relationships: Harry Potter & Original Female Character(s), This is mostly and family and friends fic
Series: Magnolia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176338
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

**31 July, 1980**

The summer of 1980 had been unusually hot. The days were almost unbearable, warm and humid with not a breeze in sight. The nights weren’t much better, with only the smallest bit of cool air that could barely be constituted as a reprieve. Tonight was no different, the air thick with humidity and the smell of cut grass. Summer blossoms were flourishing, and fruit trees were beginning to show the first signs of their future fall harvests.

And twenty year old Lily Potter was in labor.

She’d been told of her due date several times, but she knew from her mother that those weren’t always accurate. She had even found it a little silly, at first, that the Order had put so many protections on her and James. For what? A prophecy? Perhaps it was because she was Muggle-born, but she had never put much stock in the ideas of destiny and fate. Everything she had was through her choices and nothing more. After all, it was she who had decided to carry the child to term. She and James had discussed it. They were in a war and they had already lost so many people. Every time they blinked someone was in danger or dead. Tortured or turn-coat. They both wanted children, but was now really the right time for it? James was terrified, but he left it in Lily’s hands to make the final call. 

“Fear is merely how we keep breathing, not how we keep living,” she had said.

However, there was a brief moment of regret as another contraction wracked her body, and Marlene McKinnon was encouraging her to give another push.

Lily gave a growl of frustration when it was over. This would have been so much easier if she could have gone to a Healer, or even a Muggle hospital. But no. Her child had to be born in secret, a web of several decoys scattered about, because some megalomaniacal, hypocritical blood purist feared that her son would be his downfall.

She did wonder at this point if it mattered that she and James had discovered that Lily was having two babies instead of just one…

It was curious. Did that affect the prophecy at all? Did it cancel it out? She sincerely wasn’t sure. And, in all honesty, she didn’t care. She didn’t care that some woman predicted that her son would defeat Voldemort. She didn’t care that it was her ex-best friend who was the one to tell Voldemort this. It didn’t even matter that besides all this, that it wasn’t the best time to start a family. All that mattered to Lily was her husband holding her hand and the look in his eyes and the future they were desperately fighting for.

After about another hour of strenuous labor, her hair drenched with sweat, Lily finally gave birth to Harry James Potter.

Almost forty minutes later, Magnolia Hope Potter was also born.

“Your genetics are powerful, it seems,” Lily joked several hours later as the two parents held their newborns. It was well past midnight now, first of August. Both babies had full heads of jet black hair.

“Not entirely,” James said, his eyes shining with humor. He indicated the sleeping newborn in his own arms. “This ones a girl.”

Lily snorted, absently smoothing Harry’s hair along his head. “How does it feel to be the father of twins, Mr. Potter?”

“Wonderful,” James said with no hesitation. He pulled Lily’s hand towards him and kissed her knuckles. “The three of us are going to give you gray hairs before you’re forty.”

“You say that, but I’m more hoping you get a taste of your own medicine. What it’s like to rein in a menace like you.”

“Ah, but you see, I don’t even try to rein myself in. What makes you think I’ll rein in little mini-mes?”

Lily shook her head. She could only hope that one of these children would take after her studious and not so mischievous nature. But even if they didn’t, it didn’t matter to her. Here she was, with the love of her life and the two beautiful children they had created together. Lily Potter could safely say she had never been happier.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**1 November 1981, early morning hours**

It was one of the chilliest nights yet. Or mornings, technically. The dying leaves coated the cold, soft ground, almost hiding the small dirt road that led to Godric’s Hollow from view. The air was quiet, and, for anyone who wasn’t the wiser, it was peaceful.

For Sirius Black, however, it was anything but. Landing haphazardly in his flying motorcycle, he could hardly stop his hands from shaking. He had just left his friend, Peter Pettigrew’s, hiding place, only to find it completely empty and the small man unaccounted for. He had rushed to the Potter’s home as fast as he could on his flying motorcycle. Something was off. Something was very, very wrong.

Dismounting his bike and kicking the kickstand down, Sirius took a moment to survey his surroundings. There was nothing that would hint at anything being amiss. The porch swing moved gently with the cool wind, the lights in the windows gleaming in the dark night. Even the trail of lilies leading up the front steps looked untouched. Sirius remembered how excited Lily was to see them bloom, ensuring they were charmed to not freeze when fall and winter came. She had even mentioned adding a magnolia tree, just so both flowers of the house could be represented.

Sirius shook his head, walking up the pebble walkway to the door. The air felt too quiet, too calm. He also wondered why either Lily or James hadn’t come to greet him. There were wards around the house, after all. However, as he approached the door, a large shape appeared within the frame, having to duck down as they exited. Sirius immediately brandished his wand, pointing it at the figure. He was just about to hex them when the figure spoke. “Back off I have a baby, ya hear?!”

Sirius lowered his wand, confused and shocked. Sure enough there was definitely an infant in Hagrid’s arms, currently giving several discontented grunting noises. “Hagrid?! What are you doing here?”

Hagrid squinted for a moment, lowering the pink umbrella in his hand. “Sirius? What are  _ you _ doing here?”

Sirius huffed a bit, but he decided to try his best not to lose his patience with Hagrid. He was a friend, after all. “I’ve just come back from Peter’s place. He’s missing.” He opened his mouth again to ask if Hagrid had seen him, if he was here, but that all came full circle to his very first question. “Hagrid...why are you here? What are you doing with Harry?”

There was just a second’s pause before the half-giant’s bottom lip began to tremble, then he was a complete blubbering mess. “It...it’s awful, Sirius! Lily and James! They...I almos’ couldn’ go all tha way inside! You Know Who he...An’, an’, an’ Harry!” He broke off into thunderous sobs.

Sirius felt ice swim in his veins that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. His stomach turned and he felt sick. “You...can’t mean…” He balled his hands into fists until his knuckles were white. “Let me see.”

Hagrid shook his head furiously. “I can’, I can’. You don’ wanna-”

“Move out of the way, Hagrid!” Sirius barked.

The noise had startled Harry, causing him to begin to cry. This seemed a distraction enough for Hagrid, who began bouncing the infant. Sirius took this moment to push past the enormous man and into the Potter home.

What he found brought him to his knees.

James Potter, his best friend in the entire world, his partner in crime, his platonic soulmate, lied dead at the foot of the stairs.

Sirius had never been much of a crier. Lily would joke that he was practically made of stone, but that wasn’t true. Sirius’ emotions ran deep, and he loved harder than perhaps anyone ever could. It was just years of living in the bleak Black household still held tight to him like iron chains. He knew it was okay to cry, but he just...didn’t. Until now, here on the floor of the Potter’s entry way, he screamed and cursed and pounded the floor as hot tears fell in rivers down his face.

“Sirius,” Hagrid said behind him, coming to place a hand on the grieving man’s shoulder. “Sirius I’m so sorry.”

Sirius shook his head, sniffling and forcing himself to his feet. There was only one person to blame here, only one person who could have caused this. Burning rage began to melt away the mourning ice in his blood. He cleared his throat. “You’re not at fault here, Hagrid.”  _ But I know who’s fault it is. _ He turned to face the half-giant, finding fresh tears on his face and snot coming out of his nose. “Lily...her, too?” His voice still shook as he spoke.

Hagrid whimpered and nodded. “I...I only foun’ Harry. I…” He trailed off, starting to hiccup.

“Calm down, my friend. We...we wouldn’t want to upset Harry again.” His heart was racing. “What do you mean you only found Harry? Where’s Maggie?”

Again Hagrid whimpered. “I don’ know, I don’ know! Dumbledore sent me for both of ‘em! I looked everywhere an’... I’d look more but the Muggles…”

Sirius’ mind was racing, trying to piece together whatever Hagrid was saying. “What do you mean Dumbledore sent you for them? I’m their godfather. James and Lily meant for me to take them.” His brow furrowed. Muggles. Right. If Hagrid didn’t feel him coming then that meant the wards were down. And by the looks of the inside of the house, the Potters had not gone down quietly.

_ Not that I expected anything less _ , Sirius thought, a sense of pride burning in his chest.

“Let me take Harry,” Sirius told Hagrid. “As I said I’m his godfather. If the Muggles come snooping I will just tell them that I’m looking for Maggie and enlist their help and then Obliviate them.”

Hagrid shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sirius. I can’ do that. I got strict orders from Dumbledore to take Harry to ‘im.”

“On what grounds? What authority?! He would really dare defy the dying wishes of two of his most loyal members? Two of his  _ friends?” _ Sirius snarled. Tears were pricking the corners of his eyes again. How dare Dumbledore think he had any right to Harry and his well-being! What the hell did that crackpot think he was doing?

However, Sirius was reminded that they were running low on time. It wouldn’t be long before a neighbor or something came snooping about. Also Hagrid’s blubbering was so pitiful it was making it hard to stay angry. “Fine. Take him. But tell Dumbledore I will be meeting him shortly to have words. You can take my bike.” He nodded outside. “It will get you where you’re going faster.” He then turned on his heel.

“Wait! Whadya doin’?” Hagrid asked as he watched the other man head for the stairs.

“I am going to find my goddaughter. She’s a toddler. She couldn’t have gotten far. And if she were taken, there must be a clue somewhere.” He looked over his shoulder at Hagrid. “Get Harry out of here. I will see him shortly, make no mistake.”

Hagrid hesitated for a moment, but eventually turned around himself, making his way down the porch steps toward Sirius’ motorcycle.

Sirius made the rest of the way up the stairs, feeling his nerves buzzing with every step he took. It was like he could feel James’ lifeless eyes on his back. A bubble of guilt appeared in his stomach. If he had just stayed the Secret Keeper. If he hadn’t suggested the switch… His mind began to race with other thoughts, regrets and terrible theories. He shook them off. They were not the priority at the moment.

“Maggie!” He called into the hall, checking the master bedroom. The children could only say a few words here and there. Both of them had said “Mama” as their first word, and Sirius remembered how dramatically James had sulked at that. Then again, he’d had his own little lament, as while neither child had been able to even try to form his name, little Maggie had just started saying “Remy,” whenever Remus was in the room.

He again had to shake the darker thoughts from his mind. He hadn’t trusted Remus enough to make him Secret Keeper instead, thinking his being a werewolf could compromise him. Now he was drowning in guilt. He should have known better. He should have told him…

He filed it in the back of his mind on his to do list...

After checking the master bedroom painstakingly, including the closet and under the bed, he made his way to the guest bedroom. Then the bathrooms. All the way he called for the little girl over and over. He got no response, nor did he find even a scrap of clothing of a lock of the girl’s jet black hair.

Sirius had one more room left, and he had to steel his nerves before entering. Perhaps this was the most obvious place, and where he should have looked first. But perhaps he was also avoiding it, knowing that another dead body lied just beyond the door. He took a deep breath, stepping over the obliterated door.

A choked sob escaped Sirius before he could stopped himself, staring down at the body of his best friend’s wife, a woman he had come to adore as a friend and confidant. Whom he affectionately called Lils. A woman who had had so much life and light to her that even Sirius could admit that any room seemed to glow as she entered. There was no glow anymore. Just a husk with dead green eyes and disheveled red hair.

Sirius sniffled, forcing himself to turn away and observe the rest of the room. The air felt thick, like he was in the same room with molten gold, without the heat. There were scorch marks on the floor, the walls and the ceiling. The cribs were completely destroyed, bits and splinters scattered along the room.

At seeing that, Sirius began to wonder how hard Hagrid looked for Maggie after seeing the room. It was possible that the toddler could have been caught in some kind of crossfire, and if that were the case Sirius wouldn’t be able to blame Hagrid for not being very thorough. The half-giant was large but soft, hardly being able to handle the sight of his dead friends. Seeing the deceased body of one year old Maggie Potter was perhaps something Hagrid could not even fathom, and therefore he would rather not find out for sure.

However, Sirius had to know. He had to see. Just like with his friends, even if it killed him he had to see. So he began searching, moving the rubble around. He was careful of Lily’s body, not wanting to disturb it. He jokingly thought to himself that perhaps if he did, the woman would come back to haunt him. That only saw to make him laugh and cry at the same time.

After what felt like an hour of sorting through wood and decimated linens, Sirius found himself sliding down the wall right back to the floor. His chest felt tight. Had someone really taken the girl, and left no clue as to where she’d gone? Could she have been killed in the crossfire in such a way that left no kind of remains? Just what had happened to his spunky goddaughter with the bright green eyes and emerald ribbon in her hair?

Tears began to fall from Sirius’ eyes again. He had a feeling he would find himself crying quite a bit for the rest of his life. He threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling. He’d have to leave soon. He’d have to leave, and live the rest of his life without two of his dearest friends...and the goddaughter he had come to love so much…

He smacked the back of his head against the wall much harder, again blaming himself. They shouldn’t have switched. He should have never trusted anyone else with their lives.

He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to stop crying. He had to go. If he was found here by a bunch of Muggles, it would look bad. Hell, until he found that little bloody rodent, Peter, and made him admit what he did, it would always look bad. He wiped his eyes and put his hand to the wall, pushing himself back up to his feet again. There was no time for weeping. Not yet.

However, as Sirius stood up, his hand still on the wall, something peculiar happened. Next to where he had placed his tear soaked hand, a part of the wall had clicked out of place, like some kind of hidden door. He didn’t have a chance to wonder what that could mean, before the loudest, shrillest cry began to pierce the air.

Maggie did always have quite the set of lungs on her.

000000000000000

Andromeda Tonks was very happy with her quiet life, thank you very much. She didn’t run away from her blood purist family to elope with her Muggle-born husband, Ted, because she enjoyed adventure, but quite the opposite. While her older sister took on the role of the warrior princess of the Black family, and her younger sister took on the role of the perfect wife to her Death Eater husband, Andromeda had went rogue, deciding what she wanted more was love and happiness...and perhaps to be away from those who would do harm to people she had come to care about.

It had been years since then, and Andromeda and her husband were still happily married. They also had one daughter, Nymphadora, who was eight years old now. Sometimes they would talk about having another, but if she were frank, one was enough for Andromeda. She remembered how she and her own sisters had once been so caring and loyal to one another, only to slowly drift away. Most notably Bellatrix, as she grew into the Dark Lord’s favor. Andromeda knew that she would forever be Bella’s enemy now, but she couldn’t help but wonder about Narcissa. Did Bella even still care about the sister who did stay and adhere to the status quo?

However, that was not the thoughts that were plaguing her this morning. Instead she was preoccupied with getting breakfast together for one rambunctious, purple haired child.

“Can I try to flip the eggs?” Nymphadora asked, bouncing on the balls of her sock clad feet.

Andromeda gave her daughter an amused look. “The last time I let you try, you dropped the whole pan.”

“That was only one time!” Nymphadora protested. “I won’t do it again I promise!”

“How about you set the table instead, sweetheart?” Andromeda suggested. She and Ted had come to find that their daughter was quite clumsy. Not that they faulted her for it, but it did make occupying the stubbornly helpful child rather difficult.

“Fine,” Nymphadora groaned, walking over to drag the step stool over.

Andromeda chortled a little, pulling out her wand to flick at her bottles of spices. They came levitating over, dancing and sprinkling over the eggs. Her back had been turned only a few moments when she heard a commotion behind her.

“Whoa, there!” said the voice of Ted Tonks, his own wand out as he froze both the falling plates and their daughter in midair. He pulled Dora out of the spell first before plucking each plate out of its hovering position. Luckily none of them had had the chance to hit the floor and break. “You’ve got to learn to pace yourself, Dora-meleon,” Ted told his daughter, placing the stack of plates carefully in her hands.

“I was!” Dora insisted, her hair changing to a hot fuchsia in embarrassment. Even if it was just her and her parents, that nickname was the worst. “I just...lost my footing a bit.”

Ted chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get these plates on the table.”

Andromeda heaved a sigh of relief as well as a small laugh. Her daughter was simply something else and she would never ask for her to be any other way.

“Alright, all done,” she said, turning the fire off beneath the eggs. With another flick of her wand the eggs, along with some english muffins and orange juice, began plopping themselves on each plate and into each glass. Some bananas and apples also appeared, cutting up in the air and settling into separate servings with the rest of the food.

Dora gave a clap of delight. “I can’t wait to be able to do things like you can, Mum!” she said excitedly before digging into her food.

Andromeda smiled. Her daughter had certainly been showing signs of magic, so she would definitely be attending some kind of magic school. Though, in all honesty, if Nymphadora had been a Squib, it would not have mattered to her. Nymphadora was her daughter, and Andromeda would give her the life and the love that she had not had while residing in the dark and gloomy Black home.

Just as the family was settling into their breakfast, a loud crash from the living room caused Andromeda to jump. It sounded like someone had come through the Floo Network, but people almost never came to the Tonks’ home unannounced. It was simply a courtesy that Andromeda expected, especially with the state of the world at the moment.

“What was that?” Dora asked, starting to rise from the table.

“Dora, stay where you are,” Ted told his daughter, getting to his feet along with his wife. Both parents pulled out their wands and made their way to the living room, peering through the archway that connected the two rooms.

Andromeda was the first to react. “Sirius?!”

Sirius Black was Andromeda’s cousin, and perhaps the only blood family she kept in contact with. They were both rebels of their family, running away and defying their blood purist parents. Typically, the man was always full of mirth and mischief, and even the straightlaced Andromeda couldn’t help but laugh at his terrible jokes. However, there was no mischief or mirth in Sirius’s black eyes as he stood in her living room. They looked wild, feral even, full of desperation and maybe a hint of rage. His hair was wild and his clothes looked slightly tattered. There was a bundle in his arms. A moving bundle.

“Andy,” he said. He seemed to have trouble catching his breath. Had he just been in some sort of scuffle? “Andy I am so sorry to come to you like this…”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Ted said, walking forward and placing his wand back in his robes. If it was just Sirius then there was no danger, though he was still wary and concerned. “Take a seat. What happened?”

“I can’t sit down,” Sirius replied, shaking his head. “I have to go before he gets away. I have to find him.”

“Who?” Ted asked. “You’re not making any sense, man.”

Sirius ignored Ted’s question, his eyes only on Andromeda. She lowered her wand at her side but did not put it away just yet. Something wasn’t right. She could see it in her cousin’s eyes.

Suddenly, Sirius stepped forward, his steps seeming almost cautious. His eyes looked glassy, like he might start crying, but Andromeda could see beyond that. She’d seen eyes like that one too many times in her life not to recognize them. Eyes full of rage. Eyes full of vengeance.

“Please,” he asked, shoving the bundle into Andromeda’s arms. She struggled with it for a moment, not wanting to take it at all. But Sirius didn’t seem to be giving her much of a choice, and once she realized just what it was Sirius had been holding, she knew she couldn’t allow herself to drop it. “Please, Andy. I’ll never ask for anything ever again. Keep her safe. Just for a bit I’ll come back for her soon. _ Do not let Dumbledore have her.” _

The last sentence was said so harshly and intensely, one without context would think it was Albus Dumbledore that was going around trying to take over the world. Andromeda looked down at the infant in her arms. She was a very pretty toddler, with thick black hair topped with a green ribbon. Her green eyes were absolutely startling.

“Sirius,” Andromeda said. She knew a little about what had been going on in her cousin’s life, with his friends, the Potters. “Is...is this your goddaughter?”

Sirius, instead of answering, took a few steps back. “I have to go. I promise I’ll be back for her soon.”

“What do you mean you have to go? Sirius what is-”

Andromeda never got an answer to her question, as with a loud crack that startled the infant girl to tears, Sirius had Disapparated out of the Tonks’ house, leaving Ted and Andromeda completely dumbfounded.

It was Ted who snapped out of it first, shaking his head and turning to his wife. “Any idea what that was about?”

Andromeda took a moment to bounce the crying child, wincing at the shrill sound. Nymphadora had not cried like this as a baby, and it was certainly not something Andromeda was used to. However, after a moment of rocking, the child began to settle down, making it easier to hear her husband’s question. However, she wasn’t sure how to answer. The whole thing was completely strange and worrying. Not just Sirius suddenly shoving his goddaughter into her arms and disappearing seconds later, but also that Andromeda knew that he also had a godson, that, for whatever reason, was not with him.

_ “Keep her safe...Do not let Dumbledore have her.” _

As Andromeda opened her mouth to speak, an owl was heard tapping on the window. It nearly made her jump out of her skin. Ted went over to the window and opened it, pulling the parcel from the owl and handing it a coin. “Just the Daily Prophet,” he said as the owl flew away. He froze, however, his eyes catching the headline.

“What is it?” Andromeda asked. She was still reeling from shock of what had just happened, but the look on her husband’s face told her that her tumultuous morning was far from over.

Ted looked up at his wife as he approached her with the newspaper, holding it out for her to see.

**_HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED DEFEATED! HARRY POTTER THE BOY WHO LIVED!_ **

Andromeda squinted. A little to the side there was the beginnings of another article, stating how Lily and James Potter had tragically died at the hand of the Dark Lord. Apparently their son, Harry, was not only alive, but was now the one and only person to ever survive the Killing Curse. There was only a small mention of Magnolia Potter, how she was never found and presumed dead.

Andromeda swallowed hard. Everything was adding up now. Why Sirius looked so desperate and deranged. However, that did not explain why Harry was not with him if he were alive, or what it was that her cousin needed to do so urgently that it required leaving the girl in Andromeda’s care.

_ “Do not let Dumbledore have her.” _

Andromeda took a deep breath. It was not that she believed Dumbledore to be a malicious man, it was that he simply had his own goals in mind. People were all chess pieces to him, to be used and sacrificed as he saw fit. In one of the rare conversations she’d had with Lily Potter, she’d learned that she was not the only one who saw this side of Dumbledore. “We are all his tools,” Lily had said. “However, what he doesn’t seem to realize is some tools require a learning curve, or else they will not work properly.”

She looked back down at the child in her arms, whom she now knew for sure to be Magnolia Potter. The sensible thing, honestly, would be to contact Dumbledore, or perhaps one of Sirius’ other friends, maybe even the Weasleys. However, something in Andromeda was stopping her from doing any of that. Whether it be the look in Sirius’ eyes, or her own mixed feelings about this entire situation, she didn’t know or care. But her intuition had never once steered her wrong.

“I’m guessing Sirius has some things he must settle then,” Andromeda said to her husband. “I believe we still have Nymphadora’s old crib, yes? We can set it up in the spare room for now. If it seems like he is taking too long, we will contact Remus Lupin. Or perhaps that other one. The small mousy one.”

“I think his name is Peter,” Ted said with a shrug. “Alright, then. I’ll go get the crib out of the attic and get it set up.”

“Can I come into the living room, now?” Dora called suddenly, making her way through the archway. “I finished my breakfast and everything.” She stopped, tilting her head at the bundle in Andromeda’s arms. “Who’s that?”

“I’ll explain later, sweetheart. Would you mind tidying up the kitchen while your father and I get this little one settled?”

Dora’s eyes widened in excitement. “Really?! I mean...no problem, Mum!” She then dashed back into the dining room.

“Just be careful!” Andromeda called after her. “And don’t be afraid to ask us for help if you need it!”

“Okay, Mum!”

Andromeda sighed, looking back down at the child in her arms. The little toddler seemed to be simmering down, her eyes blinking sleepily. She gazed up at Andromeda and reached toward her with her tiny hand, a squeaky little sound coming from her.

“Don’t you worry, little one,” Andromeda told her. “You heard your godfather. He’ll be back for you in no time.”

However, when Andromeda read the paper the next morning, she found that Sirius would not be coming back for Magnolia at all.

**_MASSACRE IN THE STREETS! TWELVE MUGGLES AND ONE WIZARD BRUTALLY MURDERED!_ **

And the culprit arrested for the deed?

Andromeda’s own cousin, Sirius Black.


	2. Chapter One

The Tonks household was typically pretty quiet, at least from the outside. Then again, the entire location gave off a feeling of peace. The home was quite large, a purchase that could have only been made with the fortune Andromeda Tonks had managed to snatch away as she turned her back on the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black forevermore. It wasn’t a very large manor, but it was a manor all the same.

The house was made of stone, with one castle-like tower that stood proudly at the front. There was no full porch at the front, only a small stoop, but the back had a good size patio that was useful for get-togethers in the summer. The walkway was made of mosaic steps, lined with flowers of all different colors. This was an addition made by Ted Tonks, who enjoyed gardening and farming. And while the family did not have a full farm, they had two different coops, one for chicken and one for ducks, as well as a tiny pound at the very back of their property for fishing.

Neither Ted nor Andromeda had a traditional job, as the fortune Andromeda had claimed and moved before eloping had paid for their current living space, with still an egregious amount leftover. However, the couple did their best not to live beyond their means, most of their foods coming from the front yard garden or from the chickens, ducks and fish that lived on their land. Sometimes Ted would invite his friend, Amos Diggory, to go hunting with him and they would bring back an elk, and they would prepare a huge feast.

The Tonkses were the proud parents of two girls. The eldest was Nymphadora, a bright, clever and often mischievous Metamorphmagus. Andromeda often joked that the girl was the reason for her gray hairs, to which Dora (as she preferred being called) would change her hair color to a silvery gray. Dora had just graduated from Hogwarts a little over two years ago, and was now a junior partner in her Auror training, under the great Alastor Moody. Stealth, unfortunately, was still an issue, but her ability to transform her appearance more than made up for it.

The second girl was much younger, just turning thirteen in July of that year. She, too, was clever, and though it took her longer to get there, her temper could easily rival her older sister’s. For the most part, however, Magnolia Tonks was quiet, only being truly outgoing when around people she knew, including her family and closest friends at school. However, her quiet nature had become a bit more deliberate the past two years, a sort of armor to hide a huge secret from the rest of the world.

Sometimes, Maggie sincerely wished she hadn't been told. She wished Dumbledore had just left everything alone, that Snape hadn’t noticed the startling green color of her eyes that no one else in her family seemed to possess (even if Dora could imitate them.) However, there was someone who shared her eye color. Someone she had been avoiding since discovering the truth.

Her twin brother, Harry Potter.

Before finding out the truth, Maggie was certain she’d only spoken to Harry once or twice in passing. He being in Gryffindor and her being in Hufflepuff made it a little difficult for the two to sit down and get to know each other, especially since he seemed to only really be close to two of his Housemates, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. 

Maggie got along well with other people for the most part. She was polite and kind and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. At least until they showed that they were rude and malicious, like her horrible cousin, Draco Malfoy (who never acknowledged her, which was completely fine by Maggie.) However, she, too, had two people she was closest to, one in her House and one outside of it.

She had met Neville Longbottom on the first day on the train, starting up a conversation when she complimented his toad. This was also the first time Maggie met Hermione Granger, as they had run into her while hunting down the wily amphibian after his sudden escape. After helping Neville find his treasured pet, the two had a good laugh about it, and even after being placed in separate Houses, they made the time to hang out with each other and study together when possible. Neville seemed especially thankful for Maggie’s help with Potions, which she excelled at, but Neville found it difficult, mainly due to his fear of the Potions Master, himself.

Maggie’s other friend she met quickly after the sorting. Her name was Susan Bones, and she, too, came off as quiet and reserved at first. However, once Maggie got her to talking, she found her to be lively and passionate, if not a bit of a gossip. She seemed to already have aspirations for the Ministry, where her aunt, Amelia, happened to work.

Sometimes, if Maggie thought about it for too long, a cold feeling of guilt would wash over her. She loved her friends, trusted them without question, yet she hadn’t told them perhaps the most important truth about her. That she had been born Maggie Potter, and that her brother was Neville’s Housemate and friend, The Boy Who Lived. But she had decided. She debated for almost the entire first year after finding out the truth, and her mother had left it up to her. It seemed Dumbledore had as well, seeing as Harry hadn’t found reason to seek her out for some kind of explanation.

And especially after last year, there was no way Maggie could tell anyone the truth. She could have very easily have debunked all the rumors about Harry being the heir of Slytherin. After all, the two of them shared the same biological parents, the same blood, and she wasn’t able to speak Parseltongue. But she didn’t. Not only because just meeting up with Neville had become difficult, due to the strict curfew rules because of the petrifications, but because the very thought stirred a fear in her. At this moment, Maggie was just another face in the crowd, a normal student with friends and goals and not a single shred of notoriety. All that would change if she spoke up, and the uncertainty that came with that frightened her immensely.

So Maggie kept her mouth shut. Thankfully, Harry had been able to prove that he was not the one opening the Chamber of Secrets and setting that basilisk loose. But when the end of the year came, she knew there was no going back. She had decided she was happy being just Maggie Tonks, and furthermore Harry had his own family and friends. Things were better as they were, untouched and undisturbed.

“Hey, Milkweed,” came Dora’s voice as she entered the room. “You ready to go? You know it doesn’t matter what outfit you wear on the train right? You’re just gonna change out of it.”

Maggie didn’t respond, still lost in her thoughts. She’d been like that a lot, lately, ever since she’d heard about the terrifying news that had been announced over the summer. In fact, that issue of the Daily Prophet was still laying on her dresser, turned over so Maggie wouldn’t see the chilling image of the man who had somehow escaped from Azkaban. 

Dora gave a sigh. “Well, I know something is bothering you if you don’t respond to Milkweed,” she said, coming over and sitting beside Maggie on the bed. She followed the younger girl’s gaze. “Come on, now. You’re not still worried about that maniac, are you? You’re going to be at the safest place in the entire world. He won’t be able to lay a finger on your little head.”

Maggie turned to look at her sister. Dora had chosen a spiky pixie cut today with yellow and black streaks all through it. Hufflepuff colors. She always did something to represent their shared House when sending Maggie off on the train. “He managed to escape Azkaban, Dora. No one has ever escaped Azkaban before. And…” She began nibbling her lower lip. “They say he’s after Harry…” They, being Maggie's parents, whom she’d overheard talking about the situation a few nights ago.

Dora put an arm around Maggie, pulling her in a little closer. Maggie didn’t fight it, realizing she could definitely use the comfort. “Harry is going to be safe, too. Everyone is taking extreme precautions to make sure that there is no way Black can squeeze his way into Hogwarts. Harry’s head of hairs will be just as, if not more, safe as yours.”

Maggie tried to take comfort in those words, but was finding it very difficult. How could everyone be so sure that Hogwarts was safe this year? Harry had shown himself to be a magnet for danger the past two years, and this year the threat of death was far more direct, from a man who killed thirteen people with one curse and who everyone said was Voldemort’s most loyal servant.

However, those were not the only things nagging at Maggie’s mind. She had not forgotten the key facts she had been told by her mother two years ago in Dumbledore’s office, about just who it was that had left Maggie with the Tonkses on that first November morning. “Do you...think he will come after me, too?”

Dora rested her head on top of her younger sister’s. “I’ll be honest with you, Maggie. I don’t know. No one can truly know how Black’s mind works. What his plans for you truly were and why he brought you to us alive.” She pulled away, cupping Maggie’s cheeks and smiling. “But, like I said, none of that matters. You’re here and you’re here to stay. Hogwarts will be safer than ever this year. And you’ll have Remus there, too, remember?”

Maggie did remember, and that seemed to actually bring a smile to her face. Remus was a close friend of the family, and had also been friends with Maggie’s biological parents. He visited Maggie quite often, especially when she was little, reading her stories before bed and such. He was an intelligent and well spoken man with a calming voice and a dry sense of humor, and Maggie absolutely adored him. She even referred to him as her uncle.

She had been so excited to find out that Remus would be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, even writing him a letter of congratulations. He had sent a reply thanking her, and also regretting to inform her that he would not be able to see her off on the train that year. “Cannot project the idea favoritism,” he had said. Though disappointed, Maggie understood. She just knew that Remus would be an absolutely brilliant teacher.

“Feel better now?” Dora asked, giving Maggie and playful little shake.

Maggie giggled. “Yeah. A little.”

“Good,” Dora said, rising to her feet. “Now let’s get you packed before Mum has a conniption.”

They managed to get Maggie’s trunk all packed up, including all of her school books and supplies. Maggie was beginning to regret taking Care of Magical Creatures, as the assigned book was quite literally a monster that had attempted to take her hand off when she first brought it home. It was now safely bound with a padlock and chain that Dora had conjured. “Just use Alohamora to get it off,” she said. “Though I would wait until you figure out how to tame such a dastardly thing. I hope your Ancient Runes class didn’t ask for some kind of cursed book.”

Maggie laughed. “No, thankfully. I think the Care of Magical Creatures teacher might be just a bit mad.”

“No kidding.” Dora then gave her wand a flick, allowing Maggie’s trunk to float out of her bedroom and down the stairs. “Alright, Milkweed, let’s get moving.”

Maggie frowned. “After you, Dora-meleon,” she teased.

“Oh, you brat- Ah!” Dora had to take a moment to steady herself, as she had nearly lost her footing on the stairs. Maggie gave a snort of amusement, but Dora retaliated by ruffling the girl’s jet black hair.

“No, stop it, Dora!” Maggie cried, fumbling to push her sister away from her. She had painstakingly tied her hair into a braid that fell along her left shoulder, and while the braid, itself, still looked neat, tied with a black ribbon at the end, the top of her hair was now a wild mess.

“Respect your elders then, Milkweed,” Dora told her with a wicked grin.

000000000000000

Getting to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was always Maggie’s least favorite part of her journey to school. While her friend, Susan, often said she had to travel to Kings Cross in London, going through the wall between Platforms Nine and Ten, Maggie’s family travelled by the Floo Network, as the Tonkses lived quite far outside Muggle London. Maggie knew this was also the way her friend, Neville, arrived, though she very rarely saw him until they were both on the train.

Andromeda hurried their group along as soon as they were out of the fireplace, pushing through the large crowd of other wizard parents saying goodbye to their children on the platform. Once they found a boarding place that wasn’t as crowded, they all stopped and Ted checked his wristwatch. “Got here in the nick of time, it looks like.”

“No thanks to a broody someone,” Dora teased, poking Maggie’s forehead.

“I am not broody,” Maggie said with a pout. “You’re obnoxious.”

“Hey, now, I took the day from work to see you off,” Dora told her. “I could be making money bagging some horrid criminals right now.” Maggie rolled eyes, giving a squeak as Dora pulled her into a tight hug. “Behave, Milkweed. Don’t give Mum anymore gray hairs.”

Andromeda only shook her head, allowing Ted to hug their daughter next. “Write to us, you hear?” he said. “Your mother and I are so lonely in our house now when you’re gone at school. Have some pity on us.”

“Oh my god, Dad,” Dora said, snorting at their father’s dramatics.

Maggie just giggled. “I always write to you, though.”

“Well, write more, you tulip,” Ted insisted, giving Maggie’s nose a boop.

“Daaadd,” Maggie whined in embarrassment. Ted just chuckled, stepping out of the way for Andromeda.

Maggie’s mother, though extremely loving, was not often physically affectionate. She very rarely embraced the girls, and typically only gave Ted gentle kisses on his cheeks, at least while in front of Maggie. However, Maggie knew how much her mother loved her, how far the woman was willing to go to protect her family, especially her children. But when Andromeda pulled Maggie into a tight, almost desperate, hold, she couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Stay safe,” she told Maggie. “You have your Hogsmeade permission slip, yes?” Maggie nodded, remembering that her Hogsmeade permission form was safe in her messenger bag. “Good. Don’t go anywhere alone, not even in the village. Check in with us and Remus often. And, please, do not go looking for trouble this year.”

Maggie’s brow furrowed. “Mum...I never go looking for trouble. Why would this year be any different.”

Andromeda did not reply, only taking a moment to hold Maggie’s gaze before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “Be a good girl, Magnolia. We’ll see you over Christmas.”

Maggie opened her mouth to ask, once again, why she would go looking for trouble, especially during a year where a convicted killer who wanted her twin brother dead was on the loose, but then her mother was completely pulling away, and her father and sister were pushing her toward the train.

“Come on, get going, Milkweed! Before the train leaves without you!” Dora told her.

Maggie sighed. It seemed she would not have her answers right now, and as it was the last call for boarding on the train, she had no choice but to climb up the steps into the car. The place seemed very full, and she was almost worried that she would be forced to sit with some strangers of some sort. However, as she wandered down the compartment, a familiar voice caught her attention.

“Maggie!” Susan called. Maggie had to turn around, immediately beaming at seeing her dear friend. She wasted no time rushing over and giving the other girl a hug.

“I saved you a seat,” Susan said, pulling Maggie into the compartment. “Neville’s in here, too. He was worried you were going to miss the train.”

Maggie’s smile only got brighter as she entered the compartment, seeing her Gryffindor friend sitting there smiling back at her. She nearly tackled him in a hug. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see you two,” she said with a grin as she took her seat between Neville and Susan. She looked to the other side, noticing the other two people sitting with them. One she wasn’t sure she’d met before, with wild blonde hair and strange, turnip earrings. The other girl, however, Maggie couldn’t help but recognize, with her fiery red hair and dozens of freckles.

“Ginny this is Maggie Tonks,” Neville said to the ginger-haired girl. “She’s my other Hufflepuff friend. Maggie this is Ginny Weasley.”

Though Maggie didn’t feel like much of an introduction was needed, she politely shook Ginny’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Ginny replied. She gestured to the girl next to her. “This is my friend Luna Lovegood. She’s in Ravenclaw.”

The girl looked up from her magazine (which Maggie now noticed was upside-down) and gave Maggie a dreamy smile. “Hello there.” She then tilted her head, staring at Maggie intently. “Your eyes are very lovely.”

Maggie tried not to tense, but ever since that day in Snape’s class, and how he reacted to truly noticing her eyes for the first time, she couldn’t help but be on edge now anytime someone mentioned them. “Thank you,” she said, looking back down at the floor.

“Maggie’s easily flustered,” Susan said teasingly.

“I am not!” Maggie protested, giving her friend a small shove.

“You do get really nervous any time someone compliments you,” Neville pointed out with a wry grin.

“Really, Neville? You, too?”

“At least you’re not like my brother anytime someone compliments him on his eyes,” Ginny said with an eye roll. “Honestly, the boy preens like a prattish little peacock.”

The conversation continued to be merry throughout the ride, each of them discussing how their summers had been. Neville mentioned that he missed Maggie and Susan being at his house this time, which led to them telling Ginny and Luna the story of how they tried to bake cupcakes to celebrate both Maggie and Neville’s birthdays, and ended up turning the kitchen into a complete disaster area. The three of them spent the rest of the night scolded by Neville’s grandmother. There was only the briefest moment where Ginny pointed out that Maggie and Harry Potter shared a birthday, and that Neville’s was just a day shy.

There was a pause to change into their school robes as they got closer to the castle, Neville swapping out with the girls like a good gentleman. Not that Maggie would have cared, otherwise. She couldn’t imagine Neville being any kind of pervert like some of the other boys she knew. They settled again once they were changed, a diverse group of House colors. All they needed was a Slytherin to complete the circle, but Maggie sincerely doubted that would ever happen. While there wasn’t the same bitterness between Slytherin and Hufflepuff as there was between Slytherin and Gryffindor, Maggie found it difficult to get along with them. Whether that be because of her unconscious loyalty to Harry, or her own detestment of her cousin, Draco Malfoy, she did not know.

After a few more moments of idle chatter, Susan cleared her throat. “So...I’m sure everyone here has heard about Sirius Black?” she asked, her voice hushed for some reason.

Maggie felt a shiver go down her spine, her eyes focusing on nothing in particular. She wasn’t the only one uncomfortable, as she could feel Neville tense next to him and Ginny shift in her seat. “Everyone has,” the Gryffindor girl said. “It’s all over the Prophet.”

Susan nodded. “It’s just scary, isn’t it? That someone could break out of Azkaban like that? And those thirteen people he killed were just one incident. Who knows how many others he’s killed?”

Maggie gave a whine. “Why are you bringing this up, Susan?” She asked.

Susan’s expression looked a bit apologetic before she turned to Ginny. “Your brother is friends with Harry Potter, right?” she asked.

“Yes, but, I happen to be friends with him, too,” Ginny sniffed, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms. “Why?”

Maggie bit her lip. She could tell that something Susan had said had upset Ginny. She never liked conflict, especially when she felt so stuck in the middle of it. “I overheard my aunt talking to my parents over the summer,” Susan nearly whispered. “My Aunt Amelia works at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She’s been basically front and center of the Black case. Anyway, I heard her tell my parents that the reason Black broke out was because wanted to go after Harry, to finish what You Know Who couldn’t.”

Maggie was certain the tension in the room needed a drill to get through. She, of course, knew all this to be true. She’d overheard the same from her parents and Remus, and Dora had seen fit to confirm it. She folded her hands tightly in her lap, hoping no one would notice they were shaking.

“Black is after Harry?” Neville asked, his tone full of fear.

“It’s not really that hard to figure out,” Ginny said tightly. “Black was apparently a very loyal follower and You Know Who. Of course he’d want to avenge his ‘master.’” She rolled her eyes. “Harry is aware, if that’s what you’re worried about. He’s not stupid. He’s not going to go after some maniac that wants him dead.”

Maggie saw Susan’s face color, obviously embarrassed now. Finally, she snapped out of her own daze, feeling the need to step in. “Susan meant no harm, Ginny,” she said.

Just as the tension began to relax in Ginny's shoulders, the train came to a sharp halt. The five of them exchanged looks, Neville taking a look outside the window. “Why have we stopped?” His only answer was the lights suddenly going out, making Susan gasp.

“We...couldn’t have broken down, right?” she asked no one in particular.

“I don’t...think so,” Maggie replied. As far as she knew the train was operated and maintained with magic, so a breakdown just didn’t seem feasible. Then again, she wouldn’t have thought the school having an ancient chamber housing a giant snake would be possible before last year, either.

“Trevor!” Neville cried, jumping to his feet. In the darkness Maggie could barely make out the large, but spry toad, as he hopped to the top of the compartment and out into the darkness. Neville wasted no time throwing the door open and dashing after him.

“Neville, wait!” Ginny called after him, jumping up and rushing out as well.

“Where are you two going?!” Susan hissed after them, but her question went unanswered. She started clinging tightly to Maggie, as if afraid the girl would try to run off as well. However, Maggie had no intention of doing so, thinking it best to stay put in the train's current state.

“Don’t worry,” Luna said, her dreamy voice seeming unreal in the darkness. “Neville and Ginny are both quite formidable. They won’t die easily.”

For some reason, that did little to comfort Maggie. And judging by the grip Susan had on her, the other Hufflepuff was not calmed either.

The compartment door suddenly opened again, and this time Susan let out a shriek of surprise. Maggie jumped as well, only being able to make out a tall figure with a glowing wand. “Are you alright?”

Maggie could recognize that voice no matter how dark the room was. “Cedric?! What are you doing here?”

Cedric Diggory was most definitely not an unfamiliar face. His father, Amos, was good friends with Maggie’s father, so though the boy was three years older than Maggie, the two had essentially grown up together. Which was perhaps while other girls found him charming, Maggie found him to be an annoying prat.

“The other prefects and I decided to start making some rounds, make sure everyone’s okay,” Cedric replied, grinning as he poked Maggie’s nose. “I, of course, had to check on my favorite baby badger.” Maggie opened her mouth to bite Cedric’s finger, only to find the older boy too fast. “Baby honey badger, more like, in your case.”

“We’re fine,” Maggie said defiantly. “Though two of our friends just went running after a toad. Perhaps make yourself useful and track them down.”

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you that if you keep scowling that your face will get stuck like that?”

“I am going to steal your kneecaps.”

“I’m terrified, really, I am.” He suddenly froze, appearing on high alert. He looked back at the doorway to the compartment. “Does it feel cold to any of you, all of the sudden?”

At first, Maggie was going to tease him, but suddenly a violent shiver wracked her body. She wasn’t the only one, feeling Susan cling to her all the more. Luna spoke again, and this time her dreamy voice sounded almost dead and distant, “This is...a different kind of cold. Dreadful, like standing on the edge of a cliff with nowhere else to go but the darkness beneath you.”

Susan gave a whine and Maggie wanted to reprimand Luna from her words, but she couldn’t. The air grew colder and heavier, a visceral feeling of hopelessness seeming to seize her very heart. She could no longer stop the shaking of her hands, and she could see what looked like frost beginning to form along the windows.

For a split second, Maggie saw what was causing her to feel so horribly. Through the doorway of the compartment stood a hooded figure, towering over even Cedric. Maggie could see no face, just layers of torn, black clothing, and two spindly, bony hands. The creature’s head moved around the cabin, before seeming to look right at Maggie.

Immediately, her vision blurred. She couldn’t see any of her surroundings for a long time, couldn’t even remember that there were others nearby. Maggie felt like she was drowning in despair, suffocating, struggling to get to any kind of surface to no avail. Then, she heard screaming. Screaming and sobbing of a terrified woman. She was apologizing, and then she was begging.

Just as the sound of a crying infant joined the cacophony blaring in her ears, Maggie’s world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoying the story? Feel free to follow me on Tumblr @cat-gwyn-gunn for updates!


	3. Chapter Two

“Maggie...Maggie...Maggie!”

Maggie jumped awake, the dim lights of the cabin seeming blindingly bright. She groaned, feeling clammy and dizzy. She was scared that she might throw up.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Susan said, helping Maggie gently sit up. Maggie’s head pounded and swam. Had she hit it on something? “You gave us such a scare, Maggie!”

Maggie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “What...happened?”

“You fainted,” replied Luna Lovegood, who was still in the cabin with them. Her dreamy smile was no longer in place, and she looked pale and frightened like she had seen a ghost.

“I...what?” Before Maggie could try to say anything intelligible, she found a very large chunk of chocolate shoved into her mouth. She gave an outraged growl, narrowing her eyes at the perpetrator. “Are you trying to kill me, Cedric?!” Maggie demanded as she pulled the chocolate away.

“Quite the opposite, actually,” he replied, handing two more chunks to both Susan and Luna. “You had a really bad reaction to that dementor. The chocolate will help.”

Reluctantly, Maggie complied, nibbling into the chocolate. Almost immediately she felt and warmth spread through her body, like someone was giving her the best hug. She slumped and pouted. How she hated it when Cedric was right. 

“You’re welcome, Honey Badger,” Cedric said, giving her braid a playful tug.

“Is that what you’re calling me now?” Maggie asked in exasperation.

“If it works, it works,” Cedric replied with a grin.

This time when the cabin door flew open, Maggie didn’t have the energy to jump. Susan, however, did, and she clung to Maggie all over again.

“Mr. Lupin?” Cedric questioned. He’d seen the man a couple times while he and his father visited the Tonkses..

Remus Lupin was a tall man with dark blonde hair and blue eyes that reminded Maggie of a calm lake. However, at the moment he appeared anything but calm. His hair looked like he’d been fussing with it, and it only made him look all the more disheveled. Maggie’s family had tried on many occasions to buy Remus better clothes, but he was a proud man and constantly refused.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to calling me Professor Lupin, Cedric,” Remus told him, squeezing past him to get to Maggie. “Are you alright, Maggie?”

Maggie barely nodded when Cedric said, “She fainted. I gave her some chocolate, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone have that bad of a reaction to a dementor. It was like it was...feeding off of her…”

Remus took only a moment to look over his shoulder at Cedric before turning back to Maggie, taking her hand in his. “Did you hit your head or anything? Are you hurt at all?”

Maggie shook her head. “I’m...I’m fine now,” she told Remus. “The chocolate is helping.”

Remus stared at her for a long time, as searching for any sign that Maggie was lying. Finally he sighed, rising up and kissing Maggie’s forehead. “Remuuuusss,” she whined.

Remus chuckled. “Don’t be so petulant. You’ll miss that once classes start.” He turned to exit, giving Cedric a nod. “Thank you for looking out for her, Cedric.”

“Of course,” Cedric replied. “We’re practically family.”

Remus nodded again before saying over his shoulder, “I’ll see you soon, Maggie, Keep eating that chocolate.”

As he left, Cedric rubbed the back of his neck. “I have no idea why your uncle intimidates me more than your dad ever could,” he said.

Maggie gave a curious look. “Really? Remus isn’t the least bit scary.” Regardless of the fact that he was a werewolf, which no one in this cabin knew but her. But that didn’t bother Maggie a single bit.

“I didn’t say he was  _ scary _ . I said he was _ intimidating. _ There’s a difference, you know.” He gave Maggie’s braid another tug. “Anyway, I have to go check in with the other prefects. If I run into your other friends I’ll send them your way. Just keep eating that chocolate, alright?”

Cedric shut the cabin door as he left, leaving Maggie to huff. “He acts like he can just tell me what to do,” she complained, taking another, more aggressive bite of her chocolate.

“He was really helpful,” Susan said. “Also you should have seen how he fought off that dementor! It was spectacular.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.”

“He used a Patronus Charm,” Luna said, now seeming much happier since eating some chocolate, herself. “It’s the only spell known to scare dementors away, though I’ve heard it’s actually very hard to conjure.” She pulled her magazine back towards her, going back to reading it upside down. “Cedric’s takes the shape of a fox. It’s quite pretty.”

Maggie was nowhere near surprised that Cedric was capable of such a feat. He’d always been an exceptional student, and especially charms and jinxes came naturally to him. He was also an extremely skilled flyer, earning him not just the spot of Seeker on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, but also the spot of Captain.

However, none of that was buzzing through Maggie’s thoughts at the moment. “Did...anyone get hurt?”

“Not that I know of,” Susan replied. “Just...it felt awful, Maggie. Like I was eternally lost in darkness and would never come out again.”

“It did bring up some bad feelings and memories,” Luna added. “I quite thought I would pass out, myself.”

Maggie frowned. “But you didn’t pass out?”

Luna shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

Maggie swallowed, her gaze falling to the floor. She felt so terribly weak, all of sudden. Not that she considered herself a person of high constitution, but certainly she wasn’t this frail. Was she?

“Oh, come on, Maggie,” Susan said reassuringly. “That thing was horrid. I’m sure you can’t be the only one who passed out.”

Maggie didn’t answer, just continuing to eat her chocolate.

0000000000000

“You fainted, too?” Neville asked once he met back up with Maggie and Susan inside the castle. They would have to separate at their House tables, so it was common for them to spend what time they could together before the Sorting Ceremony.

“See, I told you that you weren’t the only one,” Susan said, looping her arm with Maggie’s. “Are you alright, Neville?”

“Oh, it wasn’t me,” Neville clarified. “I mean...it felt awful. Cold and dark, like I was being suffocated by sadness. I thought I was going to barf, but I didn’t faint.”

Maggie raised a brow at him. “Then who did?”

“Miss Tonks?”

Maggie, Susan and Neville all three turned, finding Professor McGonagall standing at the end of the corridor. The Deputy Headmistress appeared as serious as ever, giving Maggie an extremely intent look. “A moment, please,” McGonagall, said, gesturing for Maggie to come with her.

It was then that Maggie noticed who was standing beside the Transfiguration teacher, and she nearly lost her breath. To the right and behind McGonagall, was a waiting Hermione Granger and none other than Harry Potter.

The thought crossed Maggie’s mind to take off, to just run and hide somewhere in the castle, not caring what the consequences may be. However, she knew if she did, it would arouse questions, most especially from her two closest friends. She was not ready to let them know the truth. She wasn’t sure she ever would be.

Maggie looked back at Neville first, trying not to let the fear in her eyes show. He didn’t seem to notice. “I’ll see you later,” Neville told her, giving her a nudge before taking off into the Great Hall. 

Susan gave Maggie’s arm and hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll save you some carrots,” she told Maggie, offering a smile before making her way into the Great Hall as well.

Maggie took a breath, shoving her shaky hands into the pockets of her robes before making her way toward McGonagall and the two Gryffindor students with her. McGonagall led the way to her office, hurrying the three students inside, where Madam Pomfrey was waiting. The nurse wasted no time crowding around Maggie and Harry. “These are the only two, then?” she asked, suddenly poking and prodding at them.

“Two what?” Harry asked, his voice slightly muffled as the school nurse squished his cheeks and examined his face.

“Professor Lupin sent us an Owl from the train,” McGonagall explained. “He said you both fainted in the presence of the Dementor.” She turned to Madam Pomfrey. “How do they look to you, Poppy?”

Madam Pomfrey gave a huff as she finally let the two of them go. “Well, they seem fine, though I think they should at least have some chocolate.”

“I already had some,” Maggie said, finally finding her voice.

“Professor Lupin gave me some on the train,” Harry added. Maggie noticed him sending Hermione a bit of a panicked look and she couldn’t help but agree.

“So we finally have a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?” Madam Pomfrey said with a sniff. “Well I say it’s about time.”

“Remus is brilliant,” Maggie blurted, unable to help but come to the man’s defense.

“That is Professor Lupin while you are here at school, Miss Tonks,” McGonagall said. “Very well. If you two would step outside. I need to speak with Miss Granger alone.”

Maggie melted in relief, nearly running for the door. She, Harry, and Madam Pomfrey exited out of the office, and Maggie immediately began to rush to the Great Hall. At least, she tried to.

“Wait!”

Maggie wasn’t sure why she stopped. Maybe it was just a normal reaction when someone was calling for you. Maybe it was because she knew running away would be fruitless, and perhaps would only make her suspicious. Whatever the reason, she stopped her hasty steps, slowly turning to face the person who had stopped her. Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. And the twin brother that had no idea who she truly was.

Harry seemed nervous in his approach, as if he wasn’t sure what to say. But there was also something else in his eyes. Anticipation? Hope? Maggie couldn’t possibly tell, especially with how she made a point to avoid his gaze because what if he noticed how their eyes were identical?

“You...you passed out, too?” He asked. His voice sounded almost...excited?

Maggie shuffled in place, her nerves swarming like they were trying to get out of her skin. She cleared her throat. “I...yeah.”

A small pause, and then a relieved smile appeared on Harry’s face. It was so bright and infectious, that Maggie couldn’t help but smile back. “I thought I was the only one,” Harry said.

Maggie toyed with the inside of her pockets. “Me, too,” she told him.

They stood in a strange sort of silence, not bad but not good either. Maggie had to admit that it was nice that there was someone else who had experienced what she had, being affected by the Dementor so badly. However, she was silently cursing the universe that it was Harry of all people, whom she’d practically avoided to keep from standing out to him in any way.

Yet at this moment she didn’t think to walk away now.

“It’s Tonks, right?” Harry asked.

Even though Maggie was certain that Harry only knew her name in passing, it still made her fidget anxiously. “Yeah. Erm...Maggie.” Why was she saying that?

Harry nodded, his mouth opening and closing several times. He seemed unsure all of a sudden, and it took Maggie a moment to realize why. The two of them had never properly introduced themselves, and it seemed Harry was apparently wondering if he should introduce himself or not. Maggie couldn’t help but smile a little. It was obvious that Harry’s fame only seemed to make him awkward rather than arrogant.

“And it’s Harry right?” Maggie asked him. He seemed a bit perplexed, but when Maggie gave him a knowing smile he seemed to understand.

“Yeah,” he said. “Harry.”

Maggie just nodded and there was another awkward pause. She should have walked away by now, but for some reason she didn’t feel compelled to make her way back to the Great Hall just yet.

Then the door to McGonagall’s office opened back up, and Hermione Granger came trotting proudly out. This snapped Maggie out of her strange daze, it seemed, and Maggie immediately began to walk away. However, she was stopped again by the sound of her brother’s voice. “Maggie!”

Maggie turned around. The shaking in her hands had returned. “Yes?”

Harry suddenly looked nervous, like he had forgotten why he had called Maggie’s name in the first place. Had he had a reason? Did he just blurt it out? “See you later,” he said with a wave.

Maggie didn’t know what to say. If she truly wanted to never speak to Harry again, to never risk him finding out the truth, the best thing to do right now was to snub him. But she couldn’t bring herself to do that. She’d never been a rude person, except to those who had been rude first. She simply couldn’t bring herself to be mean, not even to protect her greatest secret.

“Yeah,” she replied, only sounding a little noncommittal. She rushed away from the other two as fast as she could without running. She could only hope that maybe Harry meant that as some polite send off. Surely he had no reason to want to hang around an anxious Hufflepuff like her.

Maggie came to find the Sorting over, Dumbledore already standing up for announcements. She looked at the man with a scowl. She would never forgive Dumbledore for prying into her family’s business and for forcing her mother to tell her a secret that now she was burdened to keep. Perhaps the latter was more her fault, and she should have told Harry last year, or the year before that. But if it hadn’t been for Dumbledore and Snape, there would have been nothing to tell…

The only thing Maggie processed from the announcements was that the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, had become the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. She wondered what in his mind made him think assigning an actually living book was a good idea, but considering that the man was the groundskeeper, and was rumored to have smuggled a dragon onto the school grounds one time, perhaps she shouldn’t have been too surprised. She perked up at the announcement of Remus as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, unable to help but clap and cheer over everyone else.

She also heard the part about the Dementors, about how they were here to ensure Sirius Black did not get inside the castle. There was also a long list of other precautions that Maggie felt were unnecessary. She was almost never out after curfew, and anyone who did sneak around well...she highly doubted even a loose serial killer would stop them now.

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Maggie, like many Hufflepuffs, took pride in how different the entrance to their common room was from the others. Neville often complained of having to remember passwords, and she’d heard that the Slytherin common room was similar. If rumors were true, Ravenclaws had to solve a riddle to enter their tower, though Maggie had never really asked.

The Hufflepuff Basement could be found close to the kitchens, hidden behind a huge stack of rather large barrels. To enter, one had to tap the correct barrel in the rhythm of the name Helga Hufflepuff. Sounded too easy, but only those of Hufflepuff House were told what the correct barrel was, and if you tapped the wrong barrel, or used the wrong rhythm, you were doused in vinegar.

Maggie breathed a sigh of relief once she and Susan were in the warm, golden lit common room. The day had felt like it lasted eons, and she wanted nothing more than to get to bed and sleep her troubles away. She found a letter waiting on her as she and Susan entered their dorm, and upon opening discovered that it was from her mother. She flopped into her pillows, deciding to wait until tomorrow to write back.

“Rough day, Maggie?” Megan Jones asked as she and Hannah Abbot entered the dorm.

“She fainted on the train,” Susan mentioned.

“Susan!” Maggie scolded, taking her pillow and putting it over her head.

“So we heard,” Hannah said. “Are you alright?”

“”M fine,” Maggie grumbled from beneath the pillow. “I just want to sleep.”

“I would suggest getting out of your school robes,” said Megan. “You’ll be uncomfortable and they’ll wrinkle.”

Maggie made a whining noise.

“Come on, Maggie. Megan’s right,” Susan said. “Where are your pajamas packed? I’ll get them out for you.”

Maggie just grumbled unintelligibly again, however Susan managed to find her pajamas. They were purple, Maggie’s favorite color, with black and silver trim. She managed to pull herself from her cocoon to change into them, and Susan helped her put her clothes and books away. Maggie wasted no time curling back into her bed, burying herself beneath the patchwork quilt and sheets.

“Tomorrow’s a new day, Maggie,” Susan told her, patting her shoulder as she went over to her own bed. “We get to start our new classes tomorrow, I hear. That will be exciting!”

Maggie only made a noncommittal noise, nestling more into her homemade nest. She wanted to believe that Susan was right, but something deep in her gut told her otherwise. She was the last to fall asleep, unable to shake her nerves from the recent events, and unable to stop hearing the echo of the chilling screams she’d heard on the train.

She couldn’t help but wonder...if Harry had heard them, too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoying the story? Feel free to follow me on Tumblr @cat-gwyn-gunn for updates!


	4. Chapter Three

Even after a fitful night’s sleep, Maggie managed to get up bright and early. Perhaps it was just how anxious she felt after the day before, or maybe she truly was excited to see her new classes. Either way, Maggie made quick work of herself, changing into her clean robes and brushing out her long, jet black hair. According to her timetable, she had Ancient Runes, Charms, and then Care of Magical Creatures. She wasn’t sure what that would have in store, but she certainly didn’t want anything messing with her hair. She pulled it back into a ponytail, leaving her fringe to frame her face.

Once she was all dressed, she made her way from the cellar dorms to the common room, careful not to wake anyone. One of the flowers on the common room table bounced up and down as she walked by in greeting. “Good morning,” she told it before climbing through the barrel passage to the corridor outside.

The Great Hall had only a few students in it, already eating their fill of breakfast. While at the beginning and end of the school year it was customary for everyone to sit at their separate House tables, there wasn’t actually a rule that said they had to do it on a day to day basis. This was a time for mingling. Maggie could see a group of first years, two from Gryffindor, one from Ravenclaw, and another from her own House, chattering amongst themselves. Another Gryffindor student wasn’t too far away, looking over from time to time. She had similar features to the Ravenclaw, and Maggie could only guess they were related. There was also a Hufflepuff and Slytherin couple in one of the far corners, huddled close and giggling.

Though Maggie knew she could sit wherever she wanted, she took her place at the Hufflepuff table in a space rather separated from everyone else. Everyone else she knew had apparently not awoken yet.

“Morning,” someone greeted just as Maggie began to fill her plate with eggs and toast. “Mind if we sit here?”

Maggie nearly choked when she looked up, and she hadn’t even started eating. Harry was there, this time with both Ron and Hermione. If her goblet had been made of glass it would shattered in her tightening grasp. “I mean...I guess?” Who was she to say no?

“Thanks!” Harry said, taking his seat. Both Hermione and Ron followed, and while Ron immediately began to pile his plate with food, Hermione hardly touched anything, looking between Maggie and Harry with mild curiosity. It was enough to make Maggie just a little uncomfortable. “Oh, um, this is Hermione and this is Ron. They’re my friends. Do either of you know Maggie Tonks?”

“I mean I knew her name,” Hermione said. “But I suppose we’ve never formally met. It’s nice to meet you.”

Maggie just gave a nod. “Same.”

“Tonks,” Ron said, his mouth full of bacon. “My brother, Charlie, went to school with a Dora Tonks. You know her?”

“Ron, for goodness sake, chew your food,” Hermione told him, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Maggie snorted. “It’s fine. Dora’s my older sister, and she’s got about the same manners.”

“That’s quite the age difference,” Hermione mentioned. “I mean, I would say the same for Ron and Charlie, but there’s other siblings in between.”

Maggie did her best to brush that off. “I guess it took my parents a bit to decide they wanted another.”

Hermione was still staring, almost as if studying her. Maggie chose to ignore it, even if she did her best to keep her eyes from Hermione’s sight.

“So! What electives are you taking?” Harry asked, successfully breaking the tense silence.

“Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes,” Maggie replied, her excitement for her new classes returning. “I actually have both of them today.”

“Us, too!” Harry replied. “I mean, Ron and I took Divination instead.”

“Yeah. Ancient Runes sounds completely boring,” Ron said. “Maybe you and that one will get along, though there’s no way you’re the over achiever she is.”

“Have I ever told you that you are the actual worst?” Hermione asked.

“Maybe once or twice,” Ron responded with a grin. “But, come on, Hermione, there’s no way you can do that schedule! You can’t be two places at once!”

“Hush, Ron.”

That perked Maggie’s interest? “How many classes did you take?” she asked.

Hermione opened her mouth to answer only to be interrupted by Ron. “All of them,” he said dramatically.

Maggie stared at Hermione. “You...you signed up for every elective?”

“I have it all settled with McGonagall,” Hermione replied dismissively. “Which means it’s no one elses business what my schedule is like!”

“You literally have three classes at the same time! How are you going to get to them all?!” argued Ron.

“I told you. I have it all fixed with McGonagall.”

“What does that even mean?!”

Harry gave Maggie a sheepish smile as the two continued to bicker, sinking down into his seat. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Are they always like this?” Maggie asked, her eyes darting back and forth like she was watching a tennis match.

“Would you believe that this is an improvement?” Harry asked. Maggie laughed, covering her mouth so no wayward food escaped and she embarrassed herself. She only found it harder when Harry sunk down more crawling beneath the table to pop up on the same side as Maggie. “There we go. Just let them go at it.”

“How clever of you,” Maggie told him. “Marmalade?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he said, taking the jar that Maggie offered. “So...you have a sister?”

Maggie tensed for just a moment before nodding. Innocent conversation. She and Harry didn’t really know each other, after all. “I do. She’s my only sister.”

“What’s the rest of your family like?” he asked.

Maggie hesitated. “My...Mum is a pure-blood. She ran away from her family to marry my dad. He’s Muggle-born, so they don’t approve.” She pointed over her shoulder at the Slytherin table. “Her younger sister is Malfoy’s mum.”

“No way! Malfoy’s your cousin?”

“Unfortunately. Not that he’ll acknowledge it. Fine with me, though I would like the opportunity to embarrass him with it at some time.”

“I mean...you could do that anytime. Sounds like good entertainment.”

Maggie shrugged. “I typically try not to start anything. I’m not really the confrontational type.” She looked over at Ron and Hermione. “Perhaps that’s why I’m a Hufflepuff and not a Gryffindor.”

“To be fair, some of us try to avoid conflict but it insists upon being a part of our day,” Harry stated.

“Is that what happens to you?” Maggie asked.

“That, or I just really have the worst luck in the world.”

That led Maggie into a solemn quiet. She couldn’t help but think of last year, the students getting petrified, how everyone was accusing Harry of being the Heir of Slytherin. With just one announcement she could have stopped it all. One announcement and a few shreds of proof…

“Can I ask you something?” Harry asked, snapping Maggie from her thoughts. He wouldn’t meet her gaze, and was pushing his food around with his fork.

“I...don’t see why not,” she said. She found herself unconsciously doing the same thing, picking around at her eggs.

Harry hesitated, going from swirling his fork around to tapping it. His mouth opened and closed several times before he finally spoke again. “Did you...hear anything? When the Dementor made you pass out?”

Maggie froze, her gaze fixed on the decanter of orange juice, as if it were particularly interesting. Her teeth grazed her bottom lip. Did she lie? Tell the truth? Say she heard nothing? What could she possibly say that wouldn’t produce a trail of breadcrumbs for Harry to follow?

However, she fortunately didn’t have to say a word, as a quiet chime chirped from beneath her robes. She pulled out the pocket watch she wore like a necklace (a gift from her mother for her eleventh birthday.) “We need to get to classes,” she announced, jumping up from her seat, throwing on her messenger bag. 

“See you!” Harry called after her.

Maggie didn’t bother replying, running out of the Great Hall as fast as she could.

The Ancient Runes classroom was on the second floor, not too far from the History of Magic classroom. It was small and little dim, and instead of the normal desks there were small tables with two chairs. Maggie suddenly had the sinking feeling that they would have to have partners. Nonetheless, she found a place at a table somewhere in the middle, like she did in almost all of her classes.

The students began pouring in, and she quickly realized she was the only Hufflepuff in this class. Susan had taken Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures, which meant she wouldn’t be in this class, and if she’d heard right then Megan and Hannah were taking Divination and Muggle Studies. Most of the students entering were in Ravenclaw, followed by the occasional Slytherin. Not even all the chairs were taken once everyone had filed in.

Not long after students stopped coming in, the teacher entered in. She was a short and thin woman with long waist length dark hair, and cheekbones so sharp they could probably cut apples. Her eyes were dark and glimmering, and her robes were a lovely shade of crimson. When she spoke her voice had a sort of rasp to it, as if there were an ancient crone that dwelled in this younger woman’s body.

“Good morning class,” she greeted, folding her hands in front of her.

“Good morning, Professor,” Maggie droned with the rest of the class.

“Well don’t get too excited,” she joked. “Welcome to the Study of Ancient Runes. I will be your teacher, Professor Babbling. Now, as we don’t have too big of a class, let me just, count to see if everyone is here.” She took a moment to silently count the students, looking back at her roll sheet from time to time. “Hmm. It appears someone is missing.” She searched the room again. “Granger? Her...Her-my-one Granger?”

“Hermione, Professor.”

Maggie jumped, startled to find the missing girl sitting in the seat next to her. She toppled out of her seat, landing on the tile floor with a hard thud. The rest of the class burst into a fit of laughter, making Maggie’s face color.

“Settle down,” Babbling told the other students. “Are you alright, dear?”

Maggie huffed, picking herself up from the floor and placing herself back into her chair. “Splendid, Professor,” she replied tightly.

Babbling nodded. “Wonderful. Glad that you’re not hurt.” She looked at the roll sheet. “You must be Miss Tonks?”

Maggie nodded.

“Wonderful, wonderful.” She then began to go down the sheet to learn everyone’s names. Maggie took this opportunity to turn to Hermione. 

“How did you get here?” she asked in a whisper.

Hermione waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t be silly. I’ve been here the whole time.”

“The whole- No you haven’t!” Maggie snapped at her.

“Miss Tonks?” Babbling said, giving her a look of warning. “Is there something you want to share with the class?”

Maggie bit the inside of her cheek. “No, Professor.”

“Alright, then.” said Babbling. “Well, now that we all know each other. Let’s discuss what this class is all about. Now, who can tell me what Ancient Runes actually are?” To no one's surprise, Hermione’s hand flew into the air. “Miss Granger?”

“Ancient Runes are old writings from our magical ancestors,” Hermione replied. “They can be anything from old legends to powerful spells that only the most powerful wizards can unlock.”

“Yes, well, that latter may be a bit of an exaggeration,” Babbling said. “But otherwise your explanation was spot on. Ten points to Gryffindor.

“The second part of Miss Granger’s explanation does hold a hint of truth. You see, Ancient Runes take us back to a time before Hogwarts, before wands and incantations. Before even Merlin himself. To a time when magic was free, unhindered and uncontrolled. Now, eventually, our ancestors realized they could manipulate it, but they sought to work with it, instead of harnessing it in concentrated forms as we do today. In this class we will be studying the writings of that time, and discovering the legends of folklore that have brought us where we are today.”

One of the three Slytherin students in the class, Theodore Nott, raised his hand. “Yes, Mr. Nott?” Babbling asked.

“So are we going to learn the magic, as well?” he asked. He appeared almost indignant.

Babbling gave him an almost sad smile. “Unfortunately, you will not be learning any sort of...practical magic in this class. Any old magic one could conjure from Runes has been long lost, I’m afraid. This class will mostly be translations and theoretical discussions.”

There was a wave of murmurs among the class, and Maggie noticed how Nott exchanged looks with his Slytherin pal, Blaise Zabini, and even she would admit, she was a little disappointed, but honestly she enjoyed puzzles, and translating Runes seemed as good a puzzle as any.

“I apologize if that is not what you expected,” Babbling told the class. “And I must admit, I am well used to students dropping this class before the semester is even up, and more often than not I end up with only a handful that wish to stay on for the N.E.W.T levels after their O.W.Ls. But I promise you, if you choose to stick with this subject, you will see our world in a completely new perspective. It will open your mind in ways not even Divination can.

“Now, something I like to do with my third-years, is assign partnerships. I find when first diving into the world of Ancient Runes, things can get a bit tricky and overwhelming. You have been randomly divided into pairs. This will be your partner for the entire year, and you will both help each other study and translate and grow. I expect that you can conduct yourselves in a mature manner with this. However, should there be some issue between you and your partner that you cannot resolve on your own, please come to me as soon as possible.”

Babbling brought out another sheet of parchment, going down the row of names and calling out the partners. Some of them cheered under their breath, others groaned. Nott didn’t seem to care either way. Maggie expected he would probably be going to drop this class as soon as he could. This reminded Maggie of what Babbling had said before, that students didn’t tend to stick with this class much. Why was she bothering assigning partners, then? What if one half of a partnership dropped the class?

However, Maggie didn’t get the chance to answer these questions, as Babbling suddenly called her name with, “And Hermione Granger.”

Maggie’s insides bubbled and turned as she gazed at her new partner. Hermione only offered a cordial smile, which Maggie did her best to return. The cleverest witch in their year was her Runes partner, and she had no good reason to wiggle out of it.

Maggie shook those thoughts away. She was overthinking things. She’d given no reason for Hermione to suspect anything. There was nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing.

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Maggie next class was Charms, which was one of her best subjects. Professor Flitwick often complimented her, and she even helped her other classmates from time to time. The first moment she got she started telling Susan about her first Ancient Runes class.

“You won’t be learning any magic then? That does sound rather disappointing,” she said, flicking her wand at Maggie, but Maggie felt no effect of her Cheering Charm. She gave a frown.

“Apparently not,” Maggie replied with a shrug. “I mean, I think Remus warned me that it wouldn’t be what I was expecting, but I’m not put off by it. Dad says it’s nice to do things that don’t require magic every now and then.” She casted her own Cheering Charm at Susan, who immediately stood up straight and began to beam.

“Well done, Miss Tonks!” Professor Flitwick praised. “Ten points to Hufflepuff.”

“How are you so good in this class?” Susan asked. The cheerful tone of her voice nearly made the question disturbing.

Maggie snorted. “If it makes you feel any better, you wipe the floor with me in Transfiguration.”

Maggie was pretty sure the smile Susan gave at that was genuine.

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Their next class was Care of Magical Creatures, which was held down at the grounds. Maggie beamed when she saw Neville heading that way as well, she and Susan rushing over to meet him. “So how have your classes been so far?” she asked.

Neville shrugged, his eyes darting to a group of students in front of him. Maggie had to keep herself from freezing. Of course, she’d remembered that Harry, Ron and Hermione would be in this class, but it startled her no less. “Well, Harry saw the Grim in his tea leaves during Divination.”

Susan gasped. “Oh no!”

“I mean...McGonagall did say that apparently that’s just something Trelawney does,” Neville added. His face scrunched nervously. “Then again, he has gotten himself into trouble the past two years, hasn’t he? And with Sirius Black out, and all.”

Maggie bit her lower lip. She of course knew about the Grim and what that meant, but if there was one thing she had absorbed from her mother, it was not to take so much stock in omens and superstitions. Then, she suddenly remembered something...

“I think Dora told me once that Trelawney predicted her death on her first day,” Maggie said, feeling a little reassured from her own memory. “I think McGonagall might have the right of it.”

“I hope so,” said Susan. “So, either of you figure out how to open these cursed books?” She held up an iron cage which contained her own growling copy of The Monster Book of Monsters.

Maggie glanced at hers, still sealed tight by the padlock and chain that Dora had put on it. It, too, made a discontented noise. While Maggie could blame it, a tiny drop of guilt floating around in her gut, she wasn’t foolish enough to pull the chain off now. “No, unfortunately.”

Neville made a noise in the back of his throat. “I know Hagrid likes creatures, but why did he have to assign a living book?”

“I mean...didn’t he smuggle a dragon onto the grounds in our first year?” Susan pointed out.

Maggie gave a nod. That rumor had spread especially swiftly, she remembered. Gossip at Hogwarts was like fire. All it took was just a spark on dry leaves and suddenly the whole forest was ablaze. There were ears and eyes everywhere, it seemed, and even things you thought you were telling someone in confidence seemed to find their way around the corridors as quickly as the next day.

It was why that, as much as she trusted Neville and Susan, she’d never even considered telling them what she’d learned during her first year at Hogwarts.

“Hello, students!” Hagrid greeted the group as they entered the meeting area. The enormous man was positively beaming, his hands on his hips as gazed at his class. “Come on, come on, gather ‘round! I go’ somethin’ real special fer ya today!” He gestured for the class to follow him. “Oh! An’ turn ta page four-hunnerd in yeh books.”

“And how, exactly, are we supposed to do that?” Draco Malfoy asked, his face scrunched in disgust. Maggie narrowed her eyes. Why the bloody hell did  _ he _ have to be in this class?

Hagrid looked a little perplexed. “Yeh...haven’ been able ta open yeh books?” Everyone in the class shook their heads. “Heh. Sorry abou’ tha.’ Yeh gotta stroke the spine. Makes it calm righ’ down.”

Maggie exchanged looks with her friends, and the rest of the class seemed to do that same. She at one point caught Harry’s gaze and he gave her a wave and she waved weakly back. She turned back to her book, finding it still growling and hissing. Carefully, she turned it so that she could stroke the spine exposed by the thick chain. The growling steadily turned to purring. Now for the moment of truth. Maggie pulled out her wand and pointed it at the padlock. “Alohamora,” she muttered, and the lock and chain fell off. She braced herself, but to her relief the book remained complacent. She used the opportunity to turn to the assigned page.

Neville, however, had not been so lucky. He had unfastened the belt he had around the book too soon, and it snarled and jumped at him. The poor boy gave a frightful scream, jumping away from the grumpy book.

“Stupify!” Susan shouted, aiming for Neville’s book. The book was immediately stunned, and Maggie left hers open to go help Neville, stroking the spine and opening it for him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled to the two girls, his cheeks pink with embarrassment.

“Always, Neville,” Maggie told him. 

Once everyone seemed to get their books opened, Hagrid gave a nod. “Alrigh’. I’ll be righ’ back. Read tha’ page on hippogriffs while I’m gone.”

“Hippogriffs?” Maggie heard Hermione say in disbelief as Hagrid walked off.

Maggie was a little shocked herself. She hadn’t been expecting them to be learning about such a creature in their first Care of Magical Creatures class. She had never seen one in person, but she’d heard about them and read about them. Mainly in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

“What a joke,” Malfoy sneered as soon as Hagrid was gone out of ear shot. “I can’t believe they let that oaf be a teacher. Hogwarts really has gone to the dogs.”

Maggie gave a growl that sounded very similar to the monstrous book in her hands. She, of course, had no plans to step forward and say anything. Confrontation wasn’t something she did, after all. However, someone else stepped forward.

“Shut up, Malfoy,” Harry told the blond dangerously.

Malfoy didn’t seem the least bit intimidated, stepping forward and smirking. Maggie felt her blood boil. What she would give to slap that smirk right off that little bastard’s face. There was a silent stand-off that lasted only a minute or so, and then Malfoy’s expression became one of terror, looking behind Harry and the rest of the crowd. “Dementor! Dementor!” He shrieked, pointing behind everyone.

Maggie’s heart stopped, and with the rest of the crowd, including Harry, she turned around. However, as she should have suspected, there was no Dementor there. She gave another, louder growl, glaring back at Malfoy. Malfoy and his friends had pulled their hoods up, and were now waving their arms and taunting Harry further. Harry took another step forward, only to be dragged away from Hermione.

Maggie balled her hands into fists, watching Malfoy and his group of Slytherins continue to laugh and jeer. Maybe it was because she’d had a bad reaction to the Dementor, as well. Maybe it was what she’d told Harry at breakfast that morning (and also maybe felt bad for taking off like she did.) Or maybe, just maybe, she really, truly, had had enough of her horrible, spoiled cousin.

Whatever the reason, Maggie shouted, “Isn’t it about time to go change your diaper, Draco?”

A silence fell upon the group, and Malfoy and the other Slytherins stopped their wiggling around. Malfoy threw his hood off, glaring into the crowd. “Who said that?”

Maggie began to shake, regret starting to seeping past the small moment of bravado. She could feel both Susan and Neville staring at her. She took a breath. No turning back now, she thought as she stepped forward..

“Maggie!” Susan hissed. Maggie waved her off.

Malfoy stared at her for a moment before laughing maliciously. “Well, well, well. I suppose I should have expected such a childish insult from you.” He stalked forward, almost trying to loom over Maggie. “Why don’t you go back into your little hovel and mind your own business, tiny Tonks.”

The Slytherins behind him began to snicker. Maggie was shaking. A part of her screamed to go back into the crowd and leave it at this, but her cheeks were colored with fury and her heart was pounding hot adrenaline through her veins. And there wasn’t a teacher in sight to stop her or hold her back. “What’s really childish is dancing around and pretending to be a magical creature,  _ cousin dear.” _

The crowd grew silent again, and the Slytherins behind Malfoy were no longer laughing. Instead they were whispering. Suddenly, Maggie’s anxiety turned to satisfaction and joy. Checkmate.

“What did you say, you Mudblood?” Malfoy asked, pulling his wand out.

Maggie's fear returned. The only time she’d ever dueled was in Dueling Club, and that had been a bit of sham. When the choice was fight or flight she had always chosen flight. She was no Gryffindor. She was no Harry Potter.

However, if there was one thing her father had taught her, it was to see things through to the end.

Just as she was about to pull out her own wand, Hagrid’s booming voice pierced the air. “I’m back! An’ look what I got!”

Maggie and the rest of the students looked over, a round of gasps and mummers going through the crowd. Maggie’s eyes widened. The hippogriffs were so big! Their feathers shined in the morning light, and their eyes were as sharp as their beaks. There were four altogether. One was a little bigger, with gray tipped feathers and gray fur, its beak a gleaming silver. There were two reddish colored ones, though one of them seemed to have some gray tones to the fur and feathers also, as well as a silver beak. The last one was the smallest, black in color, whose feathers shimmered a midnight blue in the light of the sun.

“Alrigh’ then! Hippogriffs!” Hagrid began. “Beautiful creatures! These are four of the younger ones, so they’re smaller.” Smaller?! Maggie thought. “Less set in their ways. The biggest’un ‘ere is Buckbeck. Then the all red one is Meriweather. This pretty red an’ gray one is Brunhild. She’s a sassy one, that one. And then this beaut’ ‘ere is Nightshade.

“Now! Tha firs’ thing yeh gotta know about hippogriffs is tha’ they’re proud creatures. Fiercely proud. Yeh don’ ever wanna insul’ one, ‘cause it could be the las’ thing yeh ever do.” He turned to Buckbeak. “What yeh wanna do is politely introduce yehself. Show hippogriffs respect and they’ll respect yeh back. So firs’ thing yeh do is bow.” Hagrid then gave a dramatic bow. “Don’ stand up until he’s bowed back, yeh here. ‘Cause if he don’ bow back tha’ means he ain’ wantin’ ta fool with yeh. When tha’ happens yeh jus’ keep yer head down and back away slowly.” Awkwardly, Hagrid demonstrates what he means. No sooner had he taken a step back, however, Buckbeak gave his own bow. “Ah. See, now I can stand up,” he said, doing just that.

“So now, he should lemme pet ‘im,” Hagrid explained, holding out his massive hand. “Still wanna give tha hippogriff the chance to back away, though. Can’ just assume they wanna be pet. Think o’ it as a lesson in consent!” Buckbeak gently nudged Hagrid hand with his beak before fully nuzzling into it, obviously wanting to be pet. Hagrid chuckled. “Tha’s a good boy.”

Hagrid turned back to the class. “Now I’m gonna break yeh up inter groups and have yeh take turns. It is extremely importan’ yeh follow my instructions ta the letter. These beasts are a little softer than hippogriffs you’ll find in tha wild, but they’re still hippogriffs, and they are violent creatures if they feel slighted.”

With that, the large group separated, dividing between the four hippogriffs. Hagrid helped to make sure the creatures didn’t suddenly feel crowded and lash out, coaxing them with some chickens and dead ferrets. Maggie’s friends found themselves with Brunhild, who merely gave a couple chitters of surprise before calming right down.

“Go on, Neville,” Susan insisted as no one in their group made to move.

“Why me?” Neville asked, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at the huge half-horse, half-eagle.

“You’re a Gryffindor!” Susan replied. “Aren’t you supposed to be brave?”

“And Hufflepuffs are supposed to be nice!” Neville retorted.

Maggie watched them for a moment before rolling her eyes. “For goodness sake,” she muttered, pushing past everyone else. She was not wasting this class just standing around waiting for someone else to make the first move. She stopped once she was fully in front of Brunhild, who tilted her head at her. Maggie gulped. Maybe this was a bad idea.

She took a breath, steadily bowing her head and bending at the waist. Her body shook in the position, both from fear and slight discomfort. Then she peaked up past her fringe, unable to stop herself from gasping when she found Brunhild bowing back.

Slowly, Maggie stood up, feeling jittery and unsure. She could hear Susan muffling her squeals behind her, and Neville telling her to shush. She ignored both of them, carefully raising a shaky hand toward Brunhild. The hippogriff chirped, nuzzling her hand rather aggressively into Maggie’s hand.

“Oh my god, Maggie!” Susan hissed excitedly. “I think she likes you!”

Maggie was about to turn and argue, only to find Brunhild starting to nuzzle her face. “Hey!” she giggled.

“Hey, look at Harry!” Neville suddenly yelled, pointing over to the group around Buckbeak. Maggie looked over, eyes widening when she realized that Harry was on top of the hippogriff’s back. Everyone suddenly began to leave their respective hippogriffs to gather around Harry and Buckbeak as the two took off into the sky.

Maggie, however, stayed put next to Brunhild, who gave a loud chirp as they flew away. Maggie watched in awe, if not with a bit of jealousy. “Gah!” She said, finding Brunhild nuzzling her again. Apparently she had stopped petting her. “Sorry, pretty girl.”

She had been so distracted, and as was the rest of the class, that she hadn’t noticed that Hagrid had made his way over to her. “Yeh she’s like attention,” Hagrid said. Maggie looked up at him, a little startled for a moment. “Once she let’s yeh pet her good luck gettin’ her ta let yeh stop.”

Maggie gave Brunhild a scratch under her chin, which the hippogriff really seemed to appreciate. “I thought you said she was sassy?”

“Oh, she can be, don’ let her fool yeh,” Hagrid said. “Jus’ try messin’ with her food. Or her brother. See how far it gets yeh.”

Maggie snorted for a second, but at the mention of Brunhild having a brother, she rose a brow curiously. “Her brother?”

“Oh yeh,” he said, nodding toward the sky. “Buckbeak. Thar eggs hatched around the same time an’ everything. Thar real close, but Brunhild ‘ere is mighty protective o’ him.” He looked down at her, meeting Maggie’s eyes. She froze. He knew. “Don’ look so worried,” he chuckled. “Dumbledore got us all sworn ta secrecy. Ain’ nobody gonna tell Harry except you.”

That did not make Maggie feel any better. If she was hearing this correctly, it meant the whole staff knew about her now, which really wasn’t something she wanted. Would she be treated differently? So far it didn’t seem like it. Babbling seemed to regard her as just any other student, and Flitwick’s treatment of her hadn’t changed at all. She almost asked why, but the more she thought about it, the answer was clear.

Sirius Black.

“Anyway, I’m glad yer decided ta take my class, Maggie,” Hagrid told her, his smile wide and his eyes glassy. “It means a lot. Whenever we all found out yeh were with Ted an’ Andromeda, I think I righ’ cried like a baby! We all thought…” He trailed off, clearing his throat. Maggie made a point to look around for anyone listening. Everyone was over in a huddle, watching the sky. A few had taken to climbing trees to see where Harry and Buckbeak had gone. “Anyway, I think Brunhild would let her ride ‘er if yeh wan’.”

Maggie violently shook her head. “Oh, no, no, it’s fine.” She bit her lip. “I’m...well, I’m afraid of heights.”

The look of confusion on Hagrid’s face nearly made her laugh. She was sure it must seem strange. Harry seemed to fly more gracefully than he walked, like he had always belonged in the sky. Maggie, however, had never felt the need to take her feet off the ground, and even during their first flying lesson she’d panicked and had to be brought back down by Madam Hooch.

“Ah. Righ’. Can’ expec’ tha two of yeh ta be exactly alike, now, can I?” Hagrid said, giving Maggie’s head a little pat. It nearly knocked her over. Brunhild suddenly looked over and gave another chirp. Maggie followed suit, seeing Buckbeak and Harry landing to a cheering crowd.

Well, mostly cheering.

“You’re not so scary after all, are you?” Malfoy sneered, strutting up the Buckbeak after Harry had climbed off. Hagrid immediately rushed over, but Maggie could tell it was too late. “Stupid, ugly beast.”

There was a flash of movement, and suddenly the crowd was screaming and dispersing and Malfoy was on the ground. Brunhild gave an angry squawk, about to interfere herself, but the small black hippogriff named Nightshade, stopped her. Brunhild gave a growl, but stopped all the same.

“Class dismissed!” Hagrid called, making his way from the clearing and toward the castle, a whining Malfoy in his arms. Brunhild then went around Nightshade to be by her brother’s side.

“Did you see that?” Susan asked as Maggie made her way over to the crowd. “That thing nearly killed him.”

“Would serve him right,” said Ron, who was only a meter away.

“Ron this is serious!” Hermione told him. “Hagrid could get into trouble for this!”

“For what? For Malfoy not following instructions? Besides you know he was only scratched. He’s being dramatic!”

Maggie sighed. Unfortunately, she knew the kind of influence Malfoy’s father had. However, she didn’t say anything, and gave Susan a look not to say anything either. She looked over her shoulder one more time, finding Brunhild attempting to comfort Buckbeak. Her gaze found its way to Harry for just a moment before she tore it away, making her way back up to the castle for supper.

The truth didn’t always make things better...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoying the story? Feel free to follow me on Tumblr @cat-gwyn-gunn for updates!


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this, but in this story I do a lot of mashing up the book and the movie, basically using whatever I feel flows better. Also since this is from an OCs POV, there will be some parts a that otherwise wouldn't be mentioned/in the source material. Basically just treat this as an AU lmao.

“He really shouldn’t have had hippogriffs as the first lesson,” Susan said as she and Maggie worked on their first round of homework in the Hufflepuff Common room. “Honestly, according to the typical curriculum, that’s not something we’re supposed to explore until our fifth or even sixth year.”

Maggie shrugged. “He probably just wanted to start the class off with something exciting. Make sure no one would want to drop after the first class,” she said. “Honestly, I’m pretty sure half my Runes class was ready to walk out the door when they realized it was a theoretical class. And I sort of feel bad for Professor Babbling. She seems so resigned to that sort of thing.”

“Still though. It was a risky move,” Susan continued. “To be honest, it’s not really Hagrid I’m worried about. There’s a chance he could get sacked, but if Malfoy’s dad uses the full extent of his power…”

Maggie stopped moving her quill. “What?”

Susan seemed reluctant to explain. “Well, I mean...with the way Malfoy was whining, and how pretentious and evil Lucius Malfoy can be...I wouldn’t be surprised if he calls for Buckbeak’s death.”

Maggie felt the color drain from her face. “He wouldn’t. He...he can’t do that.”

“Oh, he would, I think,” Susan said. “Aunt Amelia has had to go toe to toe with him several times. He’s ruthless, Maggie. And it’s no secret that Hagrid is half-giant, and you know how the Malfoys feel about that.”

Maggie wanted to argue, but she knew there was nothing she could say. Susan was right. Draco Malfoy was a spiteful, horrid brat, but Lucius Malfoy was actual maleficence incarnate.

“Hey, Tonks!”

Maggie looked over, finding Justin Finch-Fletchy standing by the common room entrance. He looked particularly curious. “What?” Maggie asked.

“Potter’s outside looking for you,” Justin replied, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. 

Maggie’s stomach twisted into a knot. It was late into the night. Everyone should be in their dorms asleep. She wasn’t surprised that Harry was out and about at this hour, but why in Merlin’s name was he here? “Did he say what he wanted?” Maggie asked.

“Nope. Just said he wanted to talk to you.”

Maggie groaned a little. Why? Why was this happening? Maybe she could blame that bloody dementor. Nonetheless, she got to her feet.

“Maggie! It’s after hours!” Susan told her. “Just ignore him and he’ll go away. He really shouldn’t be out, anyway.”

Maggie gave her a look. “I'll be right back, Susan. Shouldn’t take more than a minute to shoo him off.”

Susan still looked resistant, but she said nothing more as Maggie made her way to the common room exit. She opened it and climbed her way through the passage, popping open the round, wooden door on the other side. She landed in front of Harry, Ron and Hermione, shutting the door. “So what’s up?” she asked them.

“I feel like your common room is just asking for someone to break in,” Ron said, his gaze hovering over all the barrels behind Maggie.

“Ron!” Hermione scolded.

“What! You knock on a barrel to get in? What kind of security is that?!”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “It’s not as easy as it sounds. Even if you have the correct barrel, if you don’t get the rhythm of the knock just right, you’ll get doused in vinegar. Have ever had vinegar in your eyes?” She turned back to Harry. “So, what brings you here? After hours. Risking the chance encounter with the serial killer that wants you dead?”

“To be fair, a serial killer almost always wants me dead,” Harry pointed out straight-faced.

“Harry!” 

“He does have a point, Hermione,” said Ron.

“Anyway,” Harry said, interrupting whatever argument that might have happened between his two friends. “We were going to go check on Hagrid. Would you like to come with us?”

Maggie stared at Harry for a long time. There was so much to unpack in that statement. This boy had risked detention and potential death to come all the way to the lower levels of the school to ask her if she wanted to sneak out with them to go see their Care of Magical Creatures teacher. “Why?”

“Why what?” Harry questioned.

Maggie nearly facepalmed. “Why are you asking me to come with you to go check on our teacher?”

Harry opened and closed his mouth a couple times before his brow furrowed. “I...don’t know.”

Maggie blinked. He didn’t know? He came all the way here, perhaps wasting his time, and he didn’t know why? She found that he was staring right back at her, as if maybe she could provide the answer, herself. Maggie wasn’t sure what to say. She almost felt bad.

“Come on, Harry,” Ron said, nudging his friend. “She’s obviously a coward like the rest of them.”

Maggie gaped, giving Ron a severe look. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t have to listen to him, Maggie,” Hermione told her. “Ron is just being a prat.”

“I’m not wrong,” Ron insisted. “Hufflepuffs are known for being soft and easily scared. It’s facts.”

“No it’s not!” Hermione argued.

Maggie wasn’t even looking at Harry anymore, too outraged by that absolute nonsense Ron was spouting. Soft and easily scared? Did he not know that her sister was a bloody Auror now? Or that the writer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Newt Scamander, was a goddamn Hufflepuff? Her eyes narrowed, giving Ron the nastiest glare.

“I’ll show you soft and easily scared,” Maggie growled at him. “I’ll have you know an African honey badger can take down a full grown lion all on it’s own.” She then pushed him out of the way, walking past the three of them completely.

“Maggie you don’t-,”

“Let’s get going, shall we?!” Maggie announced, walking ahead and ignoring Hermione’s attempt to stop her.

She was walking on her own for only a minute or so before Harry came running up to walk beside her. “Sorry about Ron. He’s nice just...a bit thick.”

Maggie snorted. “Only a bit?” She then remembered that she was talking about Harry’s friend. “Sorry.”

Harry shrugged and Maggie supposed she was forgiven. They continued walking in silence out into the night. The air was cool, finally matching the changing colors of the autumn leaves.. Maggie could hardly hide her excitement. It was her favorite time of year.

“So,” Maggie finally asked as they travelled down the stone steps from the castle, “why do you feel the need to check on our groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher?”

“Well, I guess because to me Hagrid is more than just a teacher,” Harry explained. “He’s my friend.”

Maggie gave Harry a doubtful look. “A friend that is forty to fifty years your senior?”

Harry just gave her a look, but otherwise appeared undeterred. “He was the first wizard I ever met. Well, formally anyway.”

That gave Maggie pause. “Really?”

Harry nodded. “He’s...honestly the reason I’m even at Hogwarts in the first place.”

“...Okay you are definitely going to have to elaborate,” Maggie said, only feeling more confused.

“I...live with my aunt and uncle and cousin. All Muggles, you see.” Maggie, however, already knew this, so it did little to help her understand where Harry was coming from. “They, erm...didn’t want me coming to Hogwarts and tried to drag me into hiding. Luckily, Hagrid found us. Well, lucky for me, anyway.”

Maggie couldn’t help but stare. She knew almost nothing about the Dursleys, save for the fact that Petunia Dursley was Lily Potter’s sister, making them her blood family as well. Not that that made her interested. She never thought much about her own biological parents, let alone her so-called Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. However, hearing that they didn’t want Harry to go to Hogwarts, that they went out of their way to keep him from going… “So Hagrid...saved you in a way?”

Harry beamed. “In a way, yeah.”

And suddenly, this stirred something in Maggie, something that kept her staring at Harry for a long time. She’d never thought one way or another about his home life, just decided he had his and she had hers, so what was the sense of fixing something that wasn’t broken? And yet...perhaps this was just a product of her never caring to find out about Harry’s life in general.

“What?” Harry asked, making Maggie jump a bit. He’d caught her staring. “Surprised to find that the Boy Who Lived might not live such a cushy lifestyle?”

Maggie shook her head. “I never really felt one way or another,” she admitted. “Just...I mean my dad is Muggle-born and the way he says it his family was very accepting.”

“Hermione’s is the same,” Harry replied. “If I remember correctly, it sounded like my mum’s parents were really excited and proud when my mum got her Hogwarts letter. Something tells me my Aunt Petunia might’ve just been jealous.”

Maggie nodded. “Yeah but...seems a bit much to keep you from going to school.”

“Eh. Wasn’t the worst they’ve done,” said Harry. Maggie stopped walking and raised a brow at him. It seemed Harry realized what he had said and was trying to backtrack. “Erm....please forget I said that...”

Maggie continued to just look at him before deciding to let it go. It wasn’t her business, and if Harry didn’t want to tell her that was completely his right. Another small pause followed, this one feeling just a little awkward.

“I actually blew up my aunt over summer,” Harry blurted.

Maggie’s neck nearly snapped to look at him. “You what?!”

“Well, technically she’s my Uncle Vernon’s sister, but they make me call her Aunt Marge,” Harry explained. “She was saying some nasty things about my parents and, before I knew it she was inflating and floating away.”

Maggie was flabbergasted. She sincerely could not imagine Harry angry, but perhaps that was just because he’d been so sweet to her, regardless of how standoffish she’d been to him. A wave of guilt washed over her, until the image of some stout woman (Marge sounded like a stout woman’s name) inflating and floating away came into her head and she burst into a fit of laughter.

“It’s not funny!” Harry insisted, though he was laughing himself. “I thought I was going to get expelled!”

“Just the thought of you sending someone flying like that is hilarious,” Maggie said, giving a loud snort. Her cheeks colored. She often snorted when she found something very funny, and thanks to Dora’s teasing, it embarrassed her greatly.

“Did you just snort?” Harry asked.

“No! Shut up!”

Harry laughed again before pausing in his steps. Maggie followed his gaze, seeing Hagrid’s hut in the distance, Buckbeak tied up in the garden. The hippogriff called out sadly into the night and, if Maggie listened carefully, she could hear a more shrill cry in return.

“I guess he misses the others,” Harry said sadly. “Wonder why he’s been separated.”

Maggie almost answered that it was probably so they knew which hippogriff was at fault for harming Malfoy, but decided that perhaps it wasn’t the best thing to say at the moment. “One of the others is his sister, according Hagrid,” she said instead.

“Really?” replied Harry. “Suppose it makes sense he’s upset then. I don’t have siblings but I imagine they’re lost without each other.”

When he walked ahead Maggie found herself lingering behind. She couldn’t figure out what words got to her more. The ‘I don’t have siblings’ or the ‘they’re lost without each.’ She also wasn’t sure why they bothered her in the first place.

“Yeh shouldn’ ‘ave come!” Hagrid hollered, tears flowing freely from his eyes as he answered the door. However he stepped aside and let the students in. “It’s awful! Jus’ awful!”

Maggie, however, found herself temporarily distracted. The hut actually looked bigger on the inside. There was a table off to the side with a few chairs, which Hagrid flopped himself into. There was an iron, wood powered oven with a kettle on top, and a door that Maggie could only guess led to some kind of bedroom. It was actually quite cozy looking.

“Come on, Hagrid,” Ron said reassuringly, bringing Maggie back to the conversation at hand. “We all know Malfoy’s faking it! They can’t just sack you because he’s an idiot.”

“Yeh don’ understand!” Hagrid wailed. “Malfoy’s go’ all this money an’ pow’r. Thar’s no way I stan’ chance agains’ ‘im!”

“That’s not true, Hagrid,” said Hermione. “We’ll help you. We just have to hit them with cold hard facts. I’m sure we can find some cases with precedence that will help.”

“You’d also need someone who can really display those facts,” Maggie blurted. The entire room looked at her. “I mean...I’m just saying it wouldn’t hurt to look into some legal representation.”

“Ah, Maggie, I can’ afford tha’,” Hagrid told her, the statement breaking off into a pitiful whine.

“How does he know your name?” Ron asked.

Maggie, hesitated in a panic, struggling to find a proper answer. Hermione, however, rolled her eyes. “We just had class, Ron. Pretty sure he learned her name there.”

Harry went back to the previous subject. “I’ll pay for your legal fees.”

“Yeh will not, Harry!” Hagrid argued. “I won’ ‘ave yeh spend yer money on me like tha’.”

Maggie nibbled on her bottom lip, still able to hear the distraught hippogriff out in the garden over Hagrid’s weeping. It was a long shot, but she sincerely felt so bad for them. The world was against them and there had to be something they could do. “Susan’s aunt works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry. I know sometimes attorneys will take on cases pro bono. Maybe we can find someone that way.” Or Maggie could convince her mother to pay for it, if all else failed, but she wouldn’t suggest that just yet. 

“See, Hagrid?” Hermione said sweetly. “There’s options. Don’t feel so hopeless, alright?”

Hagrid sniffled. “You kids really are the bes’. I don’ know wha’ I’d…” He paused, squinting at the four of them. His gaze was especially fixed on Harry and Maggie, which made another wave of alarm wash over her. Oh no…

“What’re you two doin’ out ‘ere?!” Hagrid yelled, pushing himself to his feet. “I’s after hours! An’ wi’ Sirius Black out an’ all!”

Hagrid hurried them out of his hut before starting to lead them back to the castle. Maggie followed far behind, feeling every part of her body shake. Had anyone noticed what Hagrid had said?

“Why did he just say two?” Ron asked as they made their way back inside the castle. Loud alarm bells were going off in Maggie’s head. This was it. They were going to figure it all out and it was all going to end here.

“He’s drunk, Ronald,” Hermione said, sounding exasperated. Ron gave a silent scoff but didn’t seem keen to argue with that. Maggie nearly collapsed in relief, especially when she noticed they were heading toward her own common room first.

“Hey,” Harry whispered to her. She hadn’t seen him lag behind with her, so she started a bit. “Do you really think Susan’s aunt will be able to help?”

Maggie hesitated for a moment. Why had she even said anything? “I mean...it all depends on if Susan can convince her. To be fair that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Susan and her Aunt Amelia are really close, but um...I’m sure you know that Lucius Malfoy shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“Yeah, I know,” Harry agreed. “But we’ve at least got to try, right?”

Even though Maggie felt that the situation was hopeless, that there was no way of beating Lucius Malfoy, especially in a case like this, she couldn’t help but take Harry’s hopefulness to heart. She nodded.

They arrived at the stack of barrels that led to the Hufflepuff common room soon after, and Maggie hurried on over. Harry and Hermione wished her a goodnight, and even Ron gave her a halfhearted wave. She was just reaching over to tap on the correct barrel, only to be stopped when Harry called, “Maggie!”

Maggie turned around, feeling a strange combination of fear and annoyance. She couldn’t understand why Harry suddenly felt the need to seek her out. She was a nobody. A nameless Hufflepuff in a faceless crowd. However, she remembered what he said about his family, the Dursleys. How they had tried to keep him from going to Hogwarts. How out of all the students on the train, of all the other bad reactions, they were the only two who fainted in the presence of a dementor.

She remembered how Buckbeak was currently tied up in the garden of Hagrid’s little plot of land, crying into the night, while Brunhild called out sadly in return…

_ “I imagine they’re lost without each other.” _

“Yes, Harry?” Maggie asked.

There was a moment of silence that seemed to last forever, as if time was standing still. Maggie continued to stare at Harry, awaiting an answer. Harry just stared right back.

“...Never mind,” Harry said, shaking his head. He gave a nervous laugh before turning around and waving. “See you tomorrow, Maggie.”

Maggie didn’t move for a moment. It felt as if nothing had happened, and yet at the same time as if something unbelievably significant had. She couldn’t put her finger on it. She shook her head and turned to the barrel that led into the Hufflepuff Basement, tapping on it in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff’s name. The top opened up and Maggie crawled her way inside.

Maggie found the common room dim as she entered, shutting the door behind her. The crackling fire was the only light, casting shadows along the vines and potted plants throughout the room. She could hear a few strange little flowers in the corner whispering softly. Quietly, she crept through the room, heading for the girls dorms. She hadn’t felt like she’d been gone all that long, but apparently she had.

“So,” a voice piped up from behind Maggie. She jumped sharply, turning around to see Susan lounging in one of the large armchairs. “‘I’m just going to see what he wants, Susan?’ ‘I’ll be right back, Susan?’” Her arms were folded across her chest, and the light of the room made her scowl all the more prominent.

Maggie sighed heavily through her nose. She really was jumpy, wasn’t she? “To be fair, I did go out there with the intention of shooing them off.”

“But you didn’t,” Susan pointed out, getting to her feet. As she came closer Maggie noticed that she didn’t exactly look angry. Just worried and maybe a bit curious. “So where did you go?”

“Went to see Hagrid,” Maggie replied. “Harry wanted to check on him.”

Susan’s left eyebrow went up so sharply Maggie worried it would fly from her person. “Harry...wanted to check...on our Care of Magical Creatures teacher?”

“Think of it as me wanting to check on Remus,” Maggie explained.

“Hagrid is Harry’s uncle?”

“Not exactly. They’re close and they have a past together. I don’t think I can explain it...or if it’s my place to do so.”

Susan seemed satisfied with that. “Fair enough. So what happened? What did you all talk about?”

Maggie bit her lip at that. “Well...I did mention that your aunt works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and could possibly help?”

Susan gaped. “Maggie, I basically told you that it was a fool's chance!”

“I know, I know! And I told Harry that. Didn’t tell Hagrid.” She waved her hands when Susan opened her mouth again. “But, but! We...we’ve got to at least try, right?”

Susan huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. I’ll write to Aunt Amelia tomorrow morning. But only because it’s not fair to that hippogriff. Malfoy provoked the poor thing.”

Maggie smiled. “You’re the best, Susan.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

000000000000000000

Susan made good on her word, writing the letter at breakfast the next morning. She asked Megan Jones if she could borrow her owl, who agreed easily. She was one of two Hufflepuff students in their year that had their own owl, the other being Ernie MacMillan. However, he was a bit of a prat about others using his owl, asking all kinds of questions about where it was going and what it was about. Both Maggie and Susan agreed that they weren’t in the mood to discuss their reasonings for helping the Hogwarts groundskeeper.

Throughout the week Maggie caught glimpses of Malfoy moaning and complaining about his injury. He’d wrapped several of his cronies into carrying things for him, and used it as another excuse to taunt and bully others, most especially Harry.

“He what?” Maggie shrieked as they ran into each other between classes, making their way to their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the year. Harry had just told her that Malfoy had made him cut up all his ingredients in Potions.

“Yeah,” Harry said grumpily. “He’s really milking it.”

“Are we even surprised?” said Ron. “Now he just has another reason to be a git.”

Maggie growled. “If he’s not careful I’ll make sure he knows what real pain is like.”

Susan snorted. “I don’t think you needed another reason for that, did you?”

“Nope.”

They were almost to the classroom when Seamus Finnegan began shouting, shaking the copy of the Daily Prophet in his hand. “He’s been sighted! He’s been sighted!”

Maggie and the rest of them stopped and wheeled around. Some of the students started gathering around Seamus, trying to get a look at the paper. Maggie, Susan and Neville stayed put, though Susan did take a small step forward.

“What are you on about, Seamus?” Dean Thomas asked his friend.

“Sirius Black!” Seamus clarified.

Immediately Maggie’s stomach turned. How could she have forgotten for even a moment about the man who was after Harry? The man who might be after her, as well?

“Dufftown,” Hermione said, her brow furrowing in concern. “That’s not far from here.” She seemed to realize what she said and turned to Harry. “Don’t worry about it. There’s no way he’s getting in this school.”

Harry’s expression looked unreadable, and to most he probably appeared unbothered. But Maggie couldn’t help but feel otherwise. Then again, who wouldn’t be bothered to find out the killer that’s after you was only a few towns away?

“Are we sure that’s accurate?” Maggie asked, finally coming closer to peer over at the article.

“This eyewitness seems pretty sure about it,” Seamus replied. “They also got people all over chasing after him, and they gotta be pretty thorough, yeah?”

“I would assume they’d confirm it before posting an article about it,” added Susan. “Why cause unneeded panic if it’s not supposed to be a warning?”

Maggie nodded, burying her trembling hands into her pockets. She could only hope that Black was caught before he got any closer to Hogwarts. She still couldn’t fathom why the man, loyal to Voldemort and wanting Harry dead, had left her alive in the Tonkses home. And nor did she care to find out.

“Ah, there’s my class,” came a calm voice that caught the crowd's attention. Maggie’s anxiety began to melt away almost immediately at seeing Remus at the other side of the corridor. “Did we get a bit distracted?”

“Apologies, Professor,” said Seamus, rolling up the paper and putting it into his bag.

“No worries. I can’t blame you for being concerned about the news today.” Remus smiled softly. “But I can assure you that all of you are in the safest place imaginable. Now, if you’ll follow me.”

As Remus began to lead the way, it wasn’t long before Maggie noticed something a little odd. “We just passed your classroom, Re- Professor.” She was not going to get used to that.

Remus chuckled. “That, Maggie, is because we are not going to the classroom. You see, I discovered something this morning in the staff room, and I rather think it will make an exciting first lesson.”

Maggie rose a brow. Well, at least Malfoy wasn’t in this class to mess it up. She was certain if he did, she’d be the next one Lucius Malfoy targeted for killing his only son.

They arrived in the staff room, finding the tables and chairs pushed against the walls. The space was about the size of some of the classrooms, and Maggie noticed a coffee station in the corner. In fact, the room smelled of coffee and ink, which she had to admit she rather liked. Toward the back of the room were several cupboards, even a small sink. Almost completely to the right was what appeared to be a large wardrobe, which had a loud banging coming from it.

After taking roll, Remus walked over to the shaking and shimmying wardrobe, an excited grin on his face. “So, who wants to take a guess as to what is inside here?”

Maggie was typically not one to raise her hand excitedly. Even before the cloud of secrecy that now hung over her head, she often waited to see if someone else would answer first. Luckily, if she shared a class with Hermione Granger, she was normally the first. Or if it was a subject Susan liked more or did better in, she would say something. However, it was her first class with her beloved uncle Remus, so of course her hand flew into the air.

However, Remus called on another student. “Seamus?”

“That’s a boggart, that is,” answered Seamus with certainty.

“That is correct. Take five points for Gryffindor.” Remus scanned the room. “Now, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like? Hermione?”

“No one knows,” Hermione explained. “Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take on the shape of what someone fears most.”

“Excellent. That’s another five points to Gryffindor.” Remus and the rest of the class jumped a bit as the wardrobe gave a rather violent lurch. He chuckled. “Not happy about being trapped in there, that one. Now, what else do we know about boggarts? Susan?”

“They like dark places,” said Susan. “Closets, underneath the bed. My mum once found one under our kitchen sink.”

“Did she?” Remus asked. “Who else has had a run in with a boggart?”

Almost everyone’s hands went up, including Maggie’s. The house she and her family lived in was very old, therefore all kinds of creatures would find their way in, magical and not alike. One time when she was little, she found a raccoon in her bathroom, only for it to scuttle away through a hole in the ceiling. However, that didn’t compare to the time she found a boggart while sneaking about in the attic.

At the time, the thing had seemed to fade into the ground, transforming itself into a window below Maggie’s feet. The attic was very high from the first floor, though looking back Maggie was certain the creature had exaggerated the height to frighten her more. Her mother had heard her crying and immediately used a spell to shoo the beast away.

“Maggie.” Maggie blinked a couple times, wiping the memory away. It took her a moment to put her hand down. “Do you remember how it was taken care of?”

Maggie nodded. “My mum used a spell to get rid of it. She er...turned into stained glass?”

“And what was it before?”

Maggie almost said that Remus knew this story well. She’d been about seven years old and had recounted the incident to him the very next time he had visited Tonks Farm. However, she figured that would probably not help his goal of ‘avoiding the look of favoritism’ if she revealed that the two of them had a past together to the entire class. “A glass window appearing beneath me, showing the drop from the attic to the basement.”

“And then the boggart scurried away, did it not? After your mother casted the spell?” When Maggie nodded Remus continued. “You see what essentially defeats a boggart is laughter. It confuses them. So that being said, Harry,” Harry nearly jumped at being addressed. Maggie had to try not to snort. “What did Maggie’s mother essentially do?”

Harry seemed at a loss for a moment before speaking. “She...turned it into something not scary?”

“Precisely!” Remus said proudly. “Now, there is a specific spell used to do this, and while you use it you must think of something funny. Something less frightening can help as well, but I’ve found thinking of something funny is what really does a boggart in and keeps it from coming back. At least if you don’t have the proper repellents. Now, repeat after me. Riddikulus!”

“Riddikulus!” Maggie recited with the rest of the class.

“Perfect! Now I will need a volunteer. Neville if you would come forward.”

Maggie turned to Neville, seeing his face pale in horror. At first he didn’t move, but then Seamus gave him a push forward. “Go on then, Neville!” He shouted.

Neville gave Seamus an irritated look before looking over at Maggie. His brown eyes were pleading and he even mouthed ‘Help me.’ Maggie just shrugged, nodding her head forward and offering an encouraging smile.

“Alright, Neville,” Remus said, soft and friendly as ever. “What is it that you most fear?” Neville’s initial response was a mumble which no one could understand. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that for me?”

“Professor Snape,” Neville repeated, his previously pale face now turning beet red. Some of the other students began to chortle, two of which Maggie was standing near. She took the liberty to hiss at them.

“Can’t blame you there,” Remus said after calmly ordering the class to quiet down. “Professor Snape frightens me on a good day, if I’m honest.” He gave Neville a smile. “And you live with your grandmother, yes?”

Neville nodded. “But I don’t want that thing to turn into her, either.”

Maggie couldn’t help but agree, exchanging looks with Susan. If the two of them learned anything the summer they spent in the Longbottom Manor, it was that Augusta Longbottom was perhaps the most intimidating woman alive.

“No, no, you misunderstand,” Remus explained. “Go ahead and get your wand out for me, won’t you? I’m going to open this wardrobe and when I do I want to picture your grandmother’s clothes. Only her clothes, you understand? And remember the spell. Riddikulus.”

Neville gave a nod but still looked uncertain. He looked over his shoulder at Maggie and Susan, both who gave him a thumbs up. Neville inhaled deeply and turned back to wardrobe, just as Remus began to open it. Maggie had expected the creature to charge out and tackle somebody with the way it was banging around, but it did not. Instead, it stalked out, taking the form of the Hogwarts Potion’s Master, Severus Snape. Even knowing it was a boggart, Maggie couldn’t help but feel a bit of dread in its presence. Perhaps because the man really liked to hint around in the subtlest of ways that Maggie was hiding something. Smarmy bastard.

“Alright, Neville,” Remus said encouragingly. “Wand at the ready. And one. Two. Three.”

Neville flicked his wand and shouted, “Riddikulus!”

Immediately, the boggart morphed slightly. It still retained its image of Snape, but instead of the notorious black robes shuffling around him, he found himself in emerald green ones. The robes had a high-low look to them, with several ruffles, fluttering over black tights and a pair of shiny gold heels. On its head was a hat Maggie had seen quite a few times; a tight cap with a large, feathered swan atop it, looking like it was about to take flight. The boggart was even holding Mrs. Longbottom’s signature red handbag.

The entire class erupted with laughter at the sight, even Neville, who also looked giddy with pride. Remus gave a clap. “Alright, everyone line up now!”

The class chaotically huddled together until they formed some semblance of a line. Maggie found herself squished between Hermione and Susan, most of the class ahead of them, including Harry and Ron.

First came Dean Thomas, who looked to be bouncing with nerves. The boggart morphed, slowly becoming much smaller. Maggie and few others had to stand on their toes to see that the boggart had taken the form a severed hand skittering across the floor.

“Riddikulus!” Dean cried, waving his wand. Suddenly there was a loud snap as the hand was caught in a mousetrap. “Yes!” Dean cheered.

“Well done, Dean!” Remus praised. Dean beamed, taking the time to high five Seamus before taking his place beside Neville off to the side.

Parvati Patil was next, and at first she didn’t look fazed at all. Then the boggart changed its shape, becoming a withered and blood-stained mummy. Her expression became one of terror and she took half a step back before seeming to find her courage. “Riddikulus!” she yelled. The mummy made an ‘oomph!’ noise as it tripped over its own wrappings, lying face down on the floor. 

“Bravo, Parvati, bravo!” Remus applauded.

Ron came next, and Maggie felt she could almost guess what his was, from rumors and from the few times she snuck a peak at the letters Charlie Weasley had sent her sister. She unfortunately turned out to be correct, as the boggart transformed into an enormous, black spider. It wasn’t perhaps Maggie’s biggest fear, but she hated spiders all the same. She seemed to not be the only, as the entire class backed up.

Ron made a whimpering noise, but he stood his ground and shouted, “Riddikulus!” All at once the spider’s legs fell off, sending it rolling in front of the next person, Seamus. 

The boggart changed once more, this time taking the form of what looked like a woman with green tinged skin and stringy, white hair. As she opened her mouth Maggie soon recognized it as a banshee. However as the creature began to open her mouth to scream, Seamus acted. “Riddikulus!” The banshee began to cough and choke, its voice lost.

Right after Seamus came Harry, and Maggie felt cold dread at what this could mean. She was certain she wasn’t the only one who assumed that Harry’s boggart would be Voldemort. However, Maggie quickly found that the truth was almost worse, as the creature morphed into a large and looming dementor. Maggie didn’t see how Harry reacted, if he was ready to fight back or if he froze. Maggie’s gaze was fixed on the dementor, her knees shaking with fear. For just a second she wondered if this was now  _ her _ greatest fear.

However, she was brought out of her terror filled trance by a blinding light. She blinked, focusing her eyes, finding that Remus had stepped in front of Harry. Her heart sank, realizing she was now looking at Remus’ own boggart: the full moon.

“Riddikulus!” Remus shouted. The shining moon instantly shriveled, becoming a zooming, deflating balloon. It flew around for several minutes before disappearing into smoke, signalling that the boggart had been defeated.

“Alright,” Remus said, his smile back on his face. “I believe that will do it for today. Let’s see another five points to everyone who fought the boggart, as well as five each to Harry and Maggie.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Maggie said, startled when she realized that her voice had not been the only one that had spoken. She and Harry exchanged looks and her stomach flipped.

Remus chuckled. “You two participated in the discussion at the beginning of class,” he told them. He then addressed the rest of the students. “Everyone’s homework is to read the chapter on boggarts. I expect a well thought out summary on my desk next class!”

The other students began to disperse, chattering avidly about how much they had enjoyed their class. Maggie, however, lingered behind, taking a tentative step toward Remus. She’d known he was a werewolf for years, and she hadn’t cared a single bit about it. However, though she knew transformations could make him tired and achy, she never thought about how he truly felt about it. She especially hadn’t considered that it would be his worst fear.

“I’m fine, Maggie,” Remus told her when he noticed that she hadn’t moved. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Maggie?”

Maggie turned around, finding Harry still at the door. She couldn’t imagine why he was still here, and not talking excitedly with his other friends. Even Susan and Neville seemed to have made their way ahead. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Maggie sighed, turning back to Remus and forcing a smile. She was already planning on finding some time to come visit him for tea. Maybe she’d find some of that rich, dark chocolate he liked during the first trip to Hogsmeade.

“See you...Professor,” she told Remus, before making her way over to Harry and out of the classroom. She took this moment to brush off Harry’s concern. “It’s fine, Harry. I think I’m just hungry so my brain is functioning at half capacity.”

Harry nodded. He seemed more preoccupied with something else than actually worried about Maggie’s answer. Maggie watched him for a little bit as they made their way to the Great Hall. After a while of contemplating, she finally asked. “Are you...alright?”

“Hmm?” Harry grunted, seeming startled by the question. “Erm, yeah. Just...I guess I hadn’t expected my boggart to be a dementor.” He shrugged. “And I’m...maybe a little disappointed that Lupin didn’t let me have a go at it.”

Ah. Now it made sense. “He probably thought it would turn into Voldemort and didn’t want to risk scaring the rest of the class too badly.” She realized Harry had stopped walking so she stopped too. He was staring at her. Again. “What?”

“You said his name,” he said, surprised.

Maggie was confused. “Who’s name?”

“Voldemort’s. You said Voldemort.”

“Oh.” Maggie replied, suddenly feeling very sheepish and guilty. She’d started saying the name because of how much she admired Remus, and Remus never seemed to have a problem saying it. Her friends had taken issue with it, at first, but typically talks about Voldemort didn’t come up, but either way, Susan and Neville grew used to it. Maggie could tell her mother didn’t like it, however, though she never really, truly scolded her for it. “Sorry. I think Remus is a bad influence in that respect. I’ll try not to say it around you anymore.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Harry insisted. “It’s just...I’ve never heard anyone else say it out loud like that. Just me.”

Maggie surveyed Harry for a long time. Here was a boy who had faced death so many times, who was literally the target of a loose Death Eater. According to Remus, Voldemort was still out there and wanted this boy dead. Yet he had no problem saying The Dark Lord’s true name. Some would find that foolish, but Maggie didn’t know what to make of it. After all, she said the name without fear, even if it was more due to Remus’ influence than anything else.

It was now that Maggie was beginning to understand why Harry had started seeking her out. Why, even with her almost dismissive behavior, he seemed insistent about any chance to talk to her. A Muggle family that didn’t want him attending school, the rare ability to speak to snakes, and now his horrendous reaction to when dementors were near; all things that made him the odd man out.

Except this year, someone else had reacted badly to those dementors as well. Someone else was different. Someone else had the potential to understand.

And in this moment, this discussion of sharing their lack of fear in saying the name of perhaps the darkest wizard to ever lived, it dawned on Maggie, to her regret and fear, that she would not be shaking Harry off any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like my story? Follow me over on tumblr @cat-gwyn-gunn for updates and rambles.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoy the story, feel free to follow me on Tumblr @cat-gwyn-gunn. Ask box is always open there!


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